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KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/kansascitybridgeOOchan 


KANSAS  CITY  B RID  G 

View  from  the  South  West.  August  2 


THE 


KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE, 


WITH  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  REGIMEN  OF  THE  MISSOURI  RIVER, 

AND  A 

DESCRIPTION  OF  METHODS  USED  FOR  FOUNDING  IN  THAT  RIVER. 


0.  CHANUTE,  Chief  Engineer, 

AND 

GEORGE  MORISON,  Assistant  Engineer. 


I LLU  S T R AT  E D. 


NEW  YORK: 

D . VAN  NOSTRAND,  PUBLISHER, 

23  Murray  Street  and  27  Warren  Street. 


1870. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870,  by 
D.  VAN  NOSTRAND, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I.  page 

HISTORY  OF  THE  PROJECT 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  WORK 19 

CHAPTER  III. 

FOUNDATIONS 33 

CHAPTER  IV. 

MASONRY 73 

CHAPTER  V. 

SUPERSTRUCTURE 78 

CHAPTER  VI. 

OUTFIT 93 

CHAPTER  VII. 

CALCULATED  STRENGTH 96 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

COST  OF  THE  WORK 115 


APPENDIX. 

A. -EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  CHARTER  OF  THE  KANSAS  CITY,  GALVESTON,  AND  LAKE  SUPE- 


RIOR R.  R.  CO 123 

B.— CHARTER  OF  THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE  CO 125 


6 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

C. -ACT  AMENDING  THE  CHARTER,  OF  THE  KANSAS  CITY,  GALVESTON,  AND  LAKE  SUPE- 

RIOR R.  R.  CO 128 

D. — TRAFFIC  ON  THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE,  FROM  JULY  13,  1869,  TO  FEBRUARY  28,  1870...  130 

E. — TABLES  RELATING  TO  PIER  No.  4 132 

F. — TABLES  OF  STRAINS  IN  THE  FIXED  SPANS 136 

G. — TABLES  OF  STRAINS  IN  THE  DRAW 138 

H. — LIST  OF  PERSONS  EMPLOYED 139 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


VIEWS. 


VIEW  OF  THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE,  AUGUST  2,  1869  Fkontispiece. 

LOWERING  CAISSON  No.  1 INTO  POSITION  Page  37 

CAISSON  FOR  PIER  No.  4 BROUGHT  INTO  POSITION “ 57 

VIEW  OF  FOUNDATION  WORKS,  PIER  No.  4 “ 63 

PIER  No.  1 “ 75 


t-" 


PLATES. 

I.— MAP  SHOWING  LOCATION  OF  BRIDGE. 

II. -WATER  RECORD-CROSS  SECTION  OF  RIVER— PROFILE  OF  CROSSING-PONTOON  PRO- 
TECTION. 

III. — WATER  DEADENER -CAISSON  No.  2— FOUNDATION  WORKS,  PIER  No.  3. 

IV. — FOUNDATION  WORKS,  PIER  No.  4. 

V.— FOUNDATION  WORKS,  PIER  No.  4. 

VI.— CAISSON  No.  5-SHEET  PILING  AT  PIER  No.  6-DETAILS  OF  DREDGES— PILE  SHOE- 
BETON  BOX. 

VII.— MASONRY— DRAW  PROTECTION— FALSE  WORKS  BETWEEN  PIERS  3 AND  4. 

VIII.— FLOATING  DERRICKS. 

IX.— GENERAL  ELEVATION— 176  FEET  SPAN. 

X.— 248  FEET  SPAN. 

XI.— PLANS  OF  DRAW. 


XII.— STRAIN  DIAGRAMS. 


E R R A T A 


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“ 112,  “ 28,  “ w — 480,  w'  — 5G0  and  /=  290.5. 


CHAPTER  I. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  PROJECT. 

The  Missouri  River  has  long  been  known  as  so  turbulent  and  unstable  a 
stream,  that  it  was  considered  by  many  of  those  best  acquainted  with  its 
character,  as  almost  incapable  of  being  bridged.  The  successful  completion  of 
the  first  bridge  across  this  river,  and  the  novelty  of  some  of  the  methods 
adopted  for  putting  down  its  foundations,  especially  that  introduced  at  Pier 
No.  4,  which  is  believed  to  be  capable  of  considerable  extension  in  similar 
works,  have  therefore  excited  such  general  attention  and  inquiry,  as  to  make 
it  seem  desirable  that  some  record  should  be  published  of  its  construction. 

It  is  admitted  that  many  of  the  plans  were  very  different  from  those  which, 
in  the  light  of  present  experience,  it  would  be  wished  to  adopt ; but  it  is 
believed  that  a narrative  of  the  difficulties  and  temporary  failures  on  this 
pioneer  work,  may  prove  more  interesting  and  instructive  than  would  be  the 
account  of  the  more  matured  plans  of  a second  undertaking. 

The  movement  which  led  ultimately  to  the  building  of  the  Kansas  City 
bridge,  dates  from  the  incorporation  of  the  “Kansas  City,  Gfalveston,  and  Lake 
Superior  Railroad  ” by  the  State  of  Missouri,  in  1 857.  This  high-sounding 
title,  and  the  extent  of  the  enterprise,  which  contemplated  some  1,500  miles 
of  railroad,  occasioned  a great  deal  of  merriment  in  the  Legislature,  especially 
as  but  129  miles  of  the  scheme  lay  in  Missouri,  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
body  granting  the  charter,  and  it  was  also  understood  that  the  projectors 
would,  for  the  present,  be  satisfied  with  the  building  of  52  miles  of  the  line,  as  a 
branch  of  another  railroad. 

But  the  enterprising  citizens  of  the  then  infant  City  of  Kansas,  which 
perhaps  contained  at  that  time  some  2,000  inhabitants,  proved  wiser  than  those 
who  laughed  at  their  plans,  and  they  now  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  sub- 


10 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


stantially  the  same  road  in  the  course  of  rapid  execution  from  the  Gulf  to  the 
great  lakes. 

In  1860  a contract  was  let  for  building  that  portion  of  the  road  extending 
from  the  town  of  Cameron,  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  to  the 
Missouri  River,  opposite  Kansas  City. 

Although  one  provision  of  this  charter,  extracts  from  which  will  be  found 
in  Appendix  A,  authorized  the  bridging  of  all  navigable  streams  within  the 
State  (the  Missouri  being  the  only  river  to  which  this  clause  could  possibly 
apply  on  the  line  above  mentioned),  yet  it  was  considered  so  formidable  an 
undertaking,  that  no  steps  whatever  were  taken  towards  building  a bridge,  and 
the  line  was  located  parallel  with  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  through  Harlem, 
a village  opposite  Kansas  City,  thence  extending  in  a north-easterly  direction. 

A good  deal  of  work  was  done,  and  some  $200,000  expended  ; but  the 
breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  put  an  end  to  all  active  operations  in  the  spring 
of  1861,  and  for  the  next  five  years  the  project  slumbered  forgotten  in  the 
strife  which  desolated  the  border  between  Missouri  and  Kansas. 

In  the  year  1865  a charter  was  obtained  from  the  Legislature  of  Missouri, 
for  a carriage  and  railroad  bridge  at  Kansas  City,  a copy  of  which  will  be  found 
in  Appendix  B.  This  movement,  however,  was  mainly  speculative,  and  the 
corporators,  having  failed  to  interest  the  necessary  capital,  never  organized 
under  it,  and  merely  held  the  charter  as  a ready  means  of  benefiting  the  town 
by  giving  it  to  any  parties  willing  to  undertake  the  construction  of  the  bridge, 
should  circumstances  ever  render  such  an  undertaking  probable. 

In  the  following  year,  the  Kansas  City,  Galveston,  and  Lake  Superior 
Railroad,  which  had  now  been  revived,  and  whose  name  was  at  about  the 
same  time  changed  to  the  “Kansas  City  and  Cameron  Railroad,”  had  its  charter 
amended  so  as  to  invest  it  with  like  privileges  as  to  bridging  the  Missouri,  to 
those  belonging  to  the  Kansas  City  Bridge  Company. 

A general  Act  of  Congress  was  approved  on  the  25th  day  of  July,  1866, 
authorizing  the  construction  of  bridges  across  the  Mississippi  River  at  Quincy, 
Burlington,  Hannibal,  Prairie  du  Chien,  Keokuk,  Winona,  Dubuque,  and  St. 
Louis,  which  by  a special  clause  was  made  to  apply  to  the  Missouri  River  at 
Kansas  City. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


11 


The  restrictions  and  conditions  of  the  bridges  becoming  post  routes  (except 
for  the  St.  Louis  bridge),  and  the  clause  applying  to  the  Missouri,  were  as 
follows : 

******  ****** 

Sec.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted , that  any  bridge  built  under  the  provisions 
of  this  Act,  may,  at  the  option  of  the  company  building  the  same,  be  built  as  a 
drawbridge,  with  a pivot  or  other  form  of  draw,  or  with  unbroken  or  continu- 
ous spans  ; provided , that  if  the  said  bridge  shall  be  made  with  unbroken  and 
continuous  spans,  it  shall  not  be  of  less  elevation,  in  any  case,  than  50  feet  above 
extreme  high-water  mark,  as  understood  at  the  point  of  location,  to  the  bottom 
chord  of  the  bridge  ; nor  shall  the  spans  of  said  bridge  be  less  than  250  feet  in 
length,  and  the  piers  of  said  bridge  shall  be  parallel  with  the  current  of  the 
river  ; and  the  main  span  shall  be  over  the  main  channel  of  the  river,  and  not 
less  than  300  feet  in  length  ; and  provided  also , that  if  any  bridge  built  under 
this  Act,  shall  be  constructed  as  a drawbridge,  the  same  shall  be  constructed  as 
a pivot  drawbridge,  with  a draw  over  the  mam  channel  of  the  river  at  an  acces- 
sible and  navigable  point,  and  with  spans  of  not  less  than  160  feet  in  length  in 
the  clear  on  each  side  of  the  central  or  pivot  pier  of  the  draw,  and  the  next 
adjoining  spans  to  the  draw  shall  not  be  less  than  250  feet ; and  said  spans  shall 
not  be  less  than  30  feet  above  low- water  mark,  and  not  less  than  10  above 
extreme  high-water  mark,  measuring  to  the  bottom  chord  of  the  bridge,  and 
the  piers  of  said  bridge  shall  be  parallel  with  the  current  of  the  river  ; and  pro- 
vided also,  that  said  draw  shall  be  opened  promptly,  upon  reasonable  signal,  for 
the  passage  of  boats  whose  construction  shall  not  be  such  as  to  admit  of  their 
passage  under  the  permanent  spans  of  said  bridge,  except  when  trains  are 
passing  over  the  same  ; but  in  no  case  shall  unnecessary  delay  occur  in  opening 
the  said  draw,  during  or  after  the  passage  of  trains. 

Sec.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  any  bridge  constructed  under  this  Act, 
and  according  to  its  limitations,  shall  be  a lawful  structure,  and  shall  be  recog- 
nized and  known  as  a post  route  ; upon  which,  also,  no  higher  charge  shall  be 
made  for  the  transmission  over  the  same,  of  the  mails,  the  troops,  and  the 
munitions  of  war  of  the  United  States,  than  the  rate  per  mile  paid  for  their 


12 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


transportation  over  the  railroads  or  public  highways  leading  to  the  said 
bridge. 

******  ****** 

Sec.  10.  And  be  it  further  enacted , that  any  company  authorized  by  the 
Legislature  of  Missouri,  may  construct  a bridge  across  the  Missouri  River,  at  the 
City  of  Kansas,  upon  the  same  terms  and  conditions  provided  for  in  this  Act. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

It  was  early  decided,  that  the  alternative  clause  authorizing  the  construction 
of  a pivot  drawbridge,  would  be  the  proper  one  to  adopt  for  Kansas  City.  The 
topography  of  the  river  and  its  banks  is  such  as  to  confine  the  choice  of  a 
point  of  crossing  opposite  the  town  within  narrow  limits  ; while  just  above, 
between  the  Bluffs  and  the  Kansas  River,  spreads  out  a flat  bottom  land,  the 
natural  point  of  connection  and  exchange  between  all  the  railroads  centring  at 
this  city,  occupied  by  them  at  an  early  day.  A high  bridge  crossing  would 
have  made  it  impossible  to  reach  depot  grounds,  or  connect  with  the  other  roads 
on  this  bottom,  without  the  use  of  gradients  of  90  or  100  feet  per  mile,  and  a 
drawbridge,  requiring  an  elevation  of  only  10  feet  above  high-water  mark,  was 
accordingly  selected. 

The  provisions  of  the  Act  of  Congress,  concerning  drawbridges,  were 
mainly  framed  to  apply  to  the  Mississippi  River,  and  when  extended  to  the 
Missouri,  some  of  them  could  seldom  be  safely  complied  with  to  the  letter. 
Thus  the  requirement  that  the  spans  adjoining  the  draw  should  be  250  feet  each, 
designed  to  accommodate  the  immense  rafts  which  float  down  the  comparatively 
tranquil  current  of  the  Mississippi,  becomes  useless  in  the  Missouri,  whose  turbu- 
lent torrent  forbids  the  handling  of  any  rafts,  save  those  composed  of  a few 
cotton-wood  logs,  run  down  along  the  shore  a few  miles  to  the  nearest  saw- 
mill. Besides,  as  at  almost  every  point  where  a bridge  would  be  likely  to  be 
attempted,  the  channel  of  the  Missouri  lies  close  to  one  of  its  shores,  the 
attempt  to  place  spans  of  250  feet  on  each  side  of  the  draw  would  result  either  in 
locating  one  leg  of  the  draw  beyond  the  main  channel,  or  in  building  one  of 
the  250  feet  spans  partly  over  dry  land. 

This  alternative  was  presented  at  Kansas  City,  and  it  was  deemed  that  the 
placing  of  the  draw  in  the  best  possible  location  over  the  main  navigable  chan- 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


13 


nel,  was  the  chief  requirement,  and  the  adjoining  spans  were  arranged,  as  here- 
after stated,  to  conform  to  the  local  circumstances. 

The  length  of  the  spans  of  the  draw,  which  was  fixed  by  the  Act,  was  also 
intended  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  large  tows,  composed  of  steamboats 
and  barges,  which  ply  on  the  Mississippi.  But  on  the  Missouri  River  there  are 
no  tows,  the  rapidity  of  the  current,  and  the  many  snags  to  be  found  in  the 
stream,  rendering  the  towing  of  barges  hazardous,  and  having  thus  far  caused 
the  failure  of  every  attempt  to  introduce  them,  so  that  a narrower  draw  might 
have  answered  the  requirements  of  the  boats  navigating  this  stream,  which  are 
moreover  smaller  than  those  running  on  the  Mississippi ; yet  in  view  of  the 
extreme  swiftness  of  the  current  during  floods,  and  of  the  difficulty  of  holding  a 
boat  at  such  time  perfectly  true  to  her  course,  this  requirement  of  the  law  may 
be  deemed  a prudent  one,  and  the  spans  of  the  draw  of  the  Kansas  City  bridge 
were  accordingly  made  each  a little  over  160  feet  in  length  in  the  clear. 

In  1866,  the  Kansas  City  and  Cameron  Railroad  being  fully  reorganized, 
with  Mr.  C.  E.  Kearney,  of  Kansas  City,  as  president,  obtained  additional  sub- 
scriptions and  set  about  to  seek  aid  and  a connection  with  the  Hannibal  and  St. 
Joseph  Railroad.  A curious  accident,  which  occurred  in  connection  with  this 
road,  showed  on  how  slender  a thread  sometimes  hangs  the  fate  of  infant  pro- 
jects and  communities.  Even  before  the  war,  a strong  rivalry  existed  between 
Kansas  City  and  Leavenworth,  the  latter  city  being  located  on  the  same  bank 
some  25  miles  up  the  river.  Both  had  begun  railroads  to  Cameron,  both  had 
temporarily  abandoned  their  enterprise  during  the  war,  and  both  sought  the  aid 
of  the  Eastern  capitalists  controlling  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  to 
revive  them.  Leavenworth,  which  had  enjoyed  a large  and  prosperous  trade 
during  the  war,  in  consequence  of  being  near  an  important  military  post  and 
fort,  was  earliest  in  the  field,  and  when  Kansas  City  heard  of  it,  had  all  but 
closed  a contract  for  the  necessary  aid  with  the  Eastern  capitalists.  A very  few 
days  more  and  it  would  have  been  too  late  ; every  thing  would  have  been 
arranged,  and  the  road  and  bridge  built  to  Leavenworth,  which  city  would  pro- 
bably have  been  enabled  completely  to  crush  her  rival.  Immediate  personal 
appeals  and  propositions  brought  about  a suspension  of  a final  judgment,  until 
the  claims  and  merits  of  the  two  schemes  could  be  investigated. 


14 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


This  was  done  by  Mr.  James  F.  Joy,  himself,  who  as  president  or  chief 
manager  of  the  Michigan  Central,  Chicago  Burlington  and  Quincy,  Hannibal 
and  St.  Joseph,  and  other  roads,  was  at  that  time  preparing  to  have  bridges 
built  across  the  Mississippi  River  both  at  Burlington  and  at  Quincy.  He  visited 
personally  Leavenworth  and  Kansas  City,  decided  that  the  latter  was  the  best 
point  to  reach,  and  that  a bridge  must  also  be  built  to  make  the  road  of  value. 
Arrangements  were  therefore  entered  into  between  the  Kansas  City  and  Came- 
ron and  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  companies,  by  which  the  capital 
interested  in  the  latter  and  connecting  lines  of  railroads,  agreed  to  furnish  the 
iron  and  equivalent  for  the  new  line,  and  to  build  the  bridge  at  Kansas  City. 
The  entire  property  of  the  Kansas  City  and  Cameron  Railroad  was  assigned  to 
Messrs.  James  F.  Joy,  Nathaniel  Thayer,  and  Sidney  Bartlett,  as  trustees,  and 
the  work  was  carried  on  to  completion  under  the  fiduciary  charge  of  these 
gentlemen,  Mr.  Joy  remaining  throughout  the  chief  manager  of  the  enterprise. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1867,  the  railroad  was  completed  from  Cameron 
to  the  north  bank  of  the  river  opposite  Kansas  City,  and  from  that  date  until 
the  completion  of  the  bridge  in  July,  1869,  the  road  was  operated,  as  a branch 
of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  freight  and  passengers  being  trans- 
ferred by  ferry. 

A preliminary  survey  and  report  on  the  bridge  site  had  been  made  in 
August,  1866,  by  Mr.  M.  Hjortsberg,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton, and  Quincy  Railroad,  and  on  the  7th  day  of  February  following,  Mr. 
Chanute  took  charge  of  the  work  as  chief  engineer  of  the  bridge,  under  an  ap- 
pointment from  Mr.  Joy,  and  from  that  time  until  its  completion  the  work  was 
steadily  prosecuted.  Owing  to  the  novelty  of  the  work,  and  the  difficult  nature 
of  the  foundations,  no  trustworthy  contracts  could  be  let  for  them  at  that  time, 
and  it  was  determined  that  the  company  should  do  the  subaqueous  part  of  the 
work  itself.  Pile-driving  was  begun  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  on  the  27th 
of  February,  but  early  in  April,  operations  at  the  bridge  site  were  interrupted 
by  high  water,  and  could  not  be  resumed  before  the  1st  of  August. 

These  spring  and  summer  months  were  not  wasted,  but  used  to  advantage 
in  the  preparation  of  a suitable  outfit,  and  in  building  upon  the  shores  the 
caissons  and  cribs  afterwards  used  in  the  construction  of  Piers  1 and  2. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


15 


Kansas  City  at  that  time  was  almost  on  the  frontier  ; there  was  but  one 
small  foundry  and  machine  shop  in  the  town,  while  not  a barge  suitable  to  carry 
stone  could  be  found  on  the  river.  Special  tools  had  also  to  be  designed  and 
erected,  which,  however  simple  and  obvious  they  may  seem  now,  caused  the 
engineer  no  little  thought  and  anxiety.  A steamboat  was  also  found  necessary 
to  tow  the  barges,  and  for  this  purpose  the  steamer  “ Gipsey  ” was  purchased 
in  Wheeling,  and  brought  to  the  bridge  site  ; eight  flat-boats  were  built,  and 
two  small  ones  purchased  ; pile  drivers,  derricks,  and  dredges  built,  and  a 
dismantled  building,  situated  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  half  a mile  above  the 
bridge,  was  bought  and  converted  into  a machine  shop. 

The  contract  for  the  masonry  was  let  on  the  23d  of  February,  1867,  to  Messrs. 
Yipond  & Walker,  of  Kansas  City,  and  the  quarrying  of  stone  was  begun  forth- 
with. The  corner-stone  of  the  south  abutment  was  laid  on  the  21st  of  August, 
1867,  with  appropriate  festivities,  and  the  last  stone  was  laid  on  the  5th  of 
May,  1869,  when  the  completion  of  Pier  No.  4 finished  the  masonry  of  the 
bridge. 

A contract  for  the  superstructure  was  closed  with  the  Keystone  Bridge 
Company,  of  Pittsburg,  on  the  22d  of  November,  1867,  and  under  the  direc- 
tion of  that  company  this  portion  of  the  work  was  carried  to  completion. 

The  timber  used  in  the  false  works,  and  in  the  trestle  for  the  northern 
approach,  was  mostly  native  oak  lumber,  and  obtained  in  small  contracts  from 
time  to  time,  whenever  needed.  Contracts  for  the  grading  of  the  southern 
approach,  and  for  several  unimportant  parts  of  the  work,  were  let  during  its 
progress  ; but.  with  the  exception  of  the  masonry  and  superstructure,  the  bulk  of 
the  work  was  all  done  by  the  Company. 

The  draw  was  swung  on  the  15th  day  of  June,  1869,  the  first  engine  cross- 
ing the  bridge  ten  days  thereafter,  and  the  bridge  was  publicly  opened  on 
Saturday,  July  3d,  1869. 

The  period  of  two  years  and  a half,  thus  consumed  in  the  location  and 
construction  of  this  bridge,  had  brought  about  great  changes  in  its  immediate 
vicinity.  The  population  of  Kansas  City  had  increased  from  13,000  to  30,000, 
and  from  being  little  more  than  a way-station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad, 
it  had  become  an  important  railway  centre,  from  which  no  less  than  seven  lines 


16 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


of  railroad  were  in  full  operation,  while  several  more  were  projected.  Though 
the  bridge  was  originally  built  only  for  the  use  of  the  Kansas  City  and 
Cameron  Railroad,  seven  months  before  its  completion  the  west  branch  of 
the  North  Missouri  Railroad  had  been  finished  to  Harlem,  and  this  company  had 
made  arrangements  to  run  over  the  bridge,  while  the  Missouri  Valley  Railroad 
had  been  extended  from  its  former  terminus  opposite  Leavenworth  to  the  same 
point,  so  that  the  bridge  became  at  once,  not  only  a link  in  the  line  of  rail- 
roads extending  from  Chicago  to  the  South-west,  but  united  the  railway  system 
of  Northern  and  Southern  Missouri  and  Kansas  at  a common  point,,  near  the 
boundary  of  the  two  States. 

On  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railway,  starting  from 
the  State  line  at  Kansas  City,  had  been  completed  405  miles,  nearly  to  the 
eastern  boundary  of  Colorado.  The  Missouri  River,  Ft.  Scott,  and  Gulf  Railroad, 
a line  intended  to  occupy  a part  of  the  ground  embraced  in  the  original  scheme 
of  the  Kansas  City,  Galveston,  and  Lake  Superior  Railroad,  had  come  under 
the  management  of  the  same  interests  which  built  the  Kansas  City  and  Cameron 
Railroad  and  the  bridge,  was  already  in  operation  for  about  50  miles,  and 
has  since  been  extended  to  the  south  line  of  Kansas.  These  with  the  Pacific 
Railroad  of  Missouri,  and  the  Missouri  River  Railroad,  which  were  operated  as 
one  line  from  St.  Louis  to  Leavenworth,  made  up  the  list  of  seven  railroads  in 
operation  to  Kansas  City,  while  steps  were  being  taken,  and  subscriptions 
obtained,  for  another  eastern  outlet,  to  connect  with  the  lines  controlled  by  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad,  by  way  of  the  town  of  Louisiana  on  the  Mississippi 
River  ; for  the  Kansas  City,  Springfield  and  Memphis  Railroad,  and  for  the 
Kansas  City  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  a line  designed  to  tap  the  business  of  the 
Leavenworth,  Lawrence,  and  Galveston  Railroad,  and  to  extend  into  South- 
western Kansas,  which  is  now  in  process  of  construction. 

The  completion  of  the  bridge  united  the  three  railroads  on  the  north  and 
east  side  of  the  river  with  the  four  on  the  south  and  west,  made  Kansas  City  the 
convenient  point  of  exchange  for  all  business  going  south-westerly,  and  gave  it 
such  commercial  importance  as  wellnigh  to  justify  the  boast  of  its  sanguine 
citizens,  that  it  was  destined  to  become  the  metropolis  of  the  South-west. 

It  had  been  the  wish  of  the  people  of  Kansas  City  that  a separate  carriage- 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


17 


way  should  be  connected  with  the  bridge,  and  in  order  to  secure  this  they  were 
prepared  to  make  some  concessions.  As  it  would  have  been  desirable  to 
carry  both  roads  at  the  same  level,  the  cost  of  both  the  masonry  and  super- 
structure would  have  been  considerably  increased  thereby  ; it  was,  however, 
considered  that  as  the  bridge  was  but  1,400  feet  long,  and  could  be  crossed 
in  five  minutes  by  a team,  or  in  two  minutes  by  a train,  no  very  great 
trouble  need  be  apprehended,  with  proper  police  regulations  at  the  ends,  in 
admitting  each  traffic  alternately  upon  one  floor,  and  it  was  accordingly 
decided  to  lay  down  a Nicholson  pavement  upon  the  bridge,  which  was  in  con- 
sequence made  18  feet  wide  in  the  clear,  and  to  throw  it  open  to  carriages  at  all 
times,  except  when  trains  were  to  pass.  All  the  foundations  were,  moreover, 
put  in  for  a double -track  bridge,  so  that  it  can  be  widened  whenever  the  traffic 
becomes  so  great  as  to  require  it.  This  arrangement,  which  was  not  adopted 
without  some  misgivings,  has  thus  far  been  found  to  work  perfectly  well.  Not 
the  slightest  accident  has  occurred  in  consequence  ; and  the  delay  to  trains  or 
teams,  from  finding  the  bridge  occupied  upon  approaching  it  by  each  other,  has 
proved  trifling  and  unimportant.  Some  idea  of  the  large  business  done  over  the 
bridge,  from  the  very  beginning,  will  be  formed  by  examining  the  abstract  of  its 
traffic  for  the  first  seven  and  a-half  months,  given  in  Appendix  D. 

The  chief  anxiety  of  all  parties  concerned  in  this  work  was  so  to  locate  and 
build  the  bridge  that  it  should  form  the  least  possible  obstruction  to  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  river,  and  prove  as  little  objectionable  as  possible  to  the  steamboat 
interests.  It  was  felt  that,  whatever  other  mistakes  might  be  made,  the  channel 
must  be  kept  clear,  and  boats  be  enabled  to  pass  and  repass  at  all  times,  with- 
out danger  or  difficulty.  This  was  the  intention.  It  is  hoped  and  believed  that 
it  has  been  fulfilled,  for  thus  far  not  the  slightest  accident  has  occurred  to  any 
boat  in  passing  the  bridge.  For  two  years  steamers  of  all  sizes  have  gone  up 
and  down,  at  all  stages  of  the  water,  passing  the  piers  and  works  in  progress. 
After  the  completion  of  the  bridge,  at  the  suggestion  of  some  gentlemen  con- 
nected with  the  steamboat  interests,  a timber  dock  or  shore  was  provided  above 
the  bridge,  by  swinging  a series  of  pontoons  above  and  in  line  with  the  southern 
pier,  to  enable  boats  to  drop  down  along  their  sides  in  very  dark  or  windy 
weather ; but  although  this  was  only  completed  and  put  in  place  late  in  the 


18 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


season  of  1869,  boats  passed  through  all  that  year  without  material  trouble  or 
delay.  This  gratifying  result  must,  in  great  part,  be  attributed  to  the  care, 
reason,  and  justice  of  the  men  navigating  this  river,  and  has  happily  avoided 
the  disputes  and  accidents  which  have  attended  the  erection  of  the  first  bridges 
across  some  other  of  our  large  rivers. 


i 

t EW  ^LOOKING  TOWARD  ^KaNSAR  ^’iTY 

(G}>00  -j  T? 

pROM  CENTRE  OF  PPEN  PRAW. 


CHAPTER  II. 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  WORK. 

The  circumstance  which  gave  the  most  interest  to  this  work,  was  the  fact 
of  its  being  the  pioneer  bridge  across  the  Missouri  River,  and  to  the  distinguish- 
ing features  of  that  river  the  chief  difficulties  of  the  undertaking  were  due. 

Of  the  three  great  tributaries  of  the  Lower  Mississippi,  the  Missouri  is  at 
once  the  largest,  the  wildest,  and  the  least  known.  The  Ohio,  draining  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Mississippi  basin,  flowing  through  a well-settled  country, 
between  high  banks,  over  a hard  and  undisturbed  bed,  has  long  proved  a most 
serviceable  stream  for  navigation,  and  offers  no  peculiar  difficulties  to  the  bridge- 
builder.  The  Upper  Mississippi,  rising  among  the  plains  of  the  central  valley, 
and  flowing  for  its  whole  navigable  length  through  a low  bottom  land  between 
the  high  bluffs  which  mark  the  level  of  the  surrounding  country,  has  in  general 
a sandy  and  somewhat  unstable  bed  ; but  its  light  fall  and  easy  current  render  it 
a good  river  to  navigate,  while  its  regimen  is  sufficiently  fixed  to  make  the  task 
of  bridging  more  properly  one  of  magnitude  than  of  special  difficulty.  The 
Missouri,  drawing  its  source  from  the  eastern  face  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
flowing  with  a rapid  descent  down  the  westerly  slope  of  the  great  basin,  unites 
within  itself  all  elements  of  unstableness  and  irregularity,  combining  the  impetu- 
osity of  a mountain  torrent  with  the  volume  of  a lowland  river.  The  navigable 
length  from  Fort  Benton  to  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi,  is  computed  by  the 
river  pilots  at  about  3,150  miles,  and  the  area  of  its  drainage  is  given  by 
Humphreys  and  Abbot  as  518,000  square  miles,  or  more  than  one-third  greater 
than  the  united  basins  of  the  Ohio  and  Upper  Mississippi.  Owing  to  the  light- 
ness of  the  rain-fall  on  a large  part  of  this  district,  the  mean  annual  discharge  is 
far  from  being  proportionate  to  the  extent  of  the  drainage,  and  the  overwhelm- 
ing floods  of  exceptional  years  must  be  taken  as  the  real  examples  of  the  size  of 


20 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


the  river  ; but  its  greatness  is  also  shown  by  the  character  of  the  water,  filled 
with  a light  sand  brought  from  the  disintegrating  rocks  among  the  mountains, 
by  the  strange  geological  mixture  found  in  the  gravel  and  pebbles  below  its 
bed,  and  by  the  annual  summer  floods  which  come  in  their  greatest  violence 
when  other  rivers  are  on  the  decline. 

The  chief  tributaries  of  the  Missouri  are  the  Yellowstone,  the  Platte,  the 
Kaw  or  Kansas,  and  the  Osage — the  two  latter  being  prairie  streams  of  irregular 
supply,  and  the  two  former,  like  the  upper  river,  deriving  most  of  their  water 
from  the  mountains.  Each  of  these  rivers  has  its  own  characteristics  and  pro- 
duces its  distinctive  freshets.  The  Yellowstone  unites  with  the  upper  river  to 
cause  the  summer  flood  ; the  Platte  usually  pours  out  its  water  a little  earlier  in 
the  spring ; while  the  freshets  of  the  Kaw  and  the  Osage  are  of  less  regular 
occurrence,  and  dependent  largely  on  local  rains.  A combination  of  these  freshets, 
the  waters  from  the  melting  snows  among  the  mountains  being  supplemented 
by  heavy  rains  in  the  lower  countries,  has  produced  the  great  floods  which 
occur  at  long  but  irregular  intervals,  the  last  of  which  took  place  in  1844. 
This  flood,  the  only  great  flood  of  which  we  have  accurate  information,  sub- 
merged the  entire  bottom  land  below  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw,  and  has  been  re- 
garded by  the  settlers  as  an  event  too  terrible  to  occur  a second  time  ; but  Indian 
traditions  mention  other  floods  of  similar  character,  one  of  which,  occurring 
towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century,  probably  in  1 785,  is  said  to  have  con- 
siderably exceeded  that  of  1844. 

In  many  matters  of  topography  the  Missouri  resembles  the  Upper  Missis- 
sippi, while  it  is  substantially  identical  in  these  respects  with  the  lower  river. 
Its  course  lies  through  a low  alluvial  deposit  of  bottom  land  enclosed  on  each 
side  by  bluffs.  The  distance  between  these  bluffs  varies  from  a mile  and  a half 
to  15  miles  or  more,  the  bluffs  being  generally  highest,  most  rugged,  and  con- 
taining the  greatest  quantity  of  rock,  when  they  approach  most  nearly  together. 
For  about  500  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  or  nearly  to  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  State  of  Nebraska,  the  bottom  land,  except  where  ’artificially 
cleared  or  where  its  width  is  very  great,  is  covered  with  a heavy  growth  of 
timber,  the  cotton-wood  being  the  most  common  tree,  while  the  sycamore, 
black  walnut,  and  several  varieties  of  oak  and  elm  also  abound ; farther  north 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


21 


the  timber  becomes  more  scarce,  and  a large  part  of  the  bottom  land  is  open 
prairie.  The  average  elevation  of  the  bottoms  is  a few  feet  above  the  ordinary 
high-water  level,  but  below  the  range  of  the  extreme  floods  of  exceptional  years. 
The  river  winds  to  and  fro  in  a circuitous  course  between  the  bluffs,  with  little 
apparent  regularity — the  width  from  bank  to  bank,  measured  between  the 
wooded  or  grass-grown  shores,  varying  from  300  to  1,500  yards,  and  averaging 
about  half  a mile.  At  low  water  the  channel  contracts  within  much  smaller 
limits,  becoming  reduced  to  600  or  700  feet,  and  leaving  the  remaining  width  a 
dry  and  desolate  sand  bar. 

The  usual  fall  being  from  10  inches  to  a foot  in  the  mile,  the  current  is 
very  rapid,  varying  with  the  different  stages  of  water,  in  an  ordinary  season, 
from  three  miles  an  hour  to  eight.  The  bed  of  the  river,  the  sand  bars  and  the 
substratum  of  the  bottom  lands  are  composed  partially  of  sand  and  partially 
of  a fine  silt,  having  a specific  gravity  little  greater  than  that  of  water*  ; a con- 
siderable quantity  of  this  silt  is  always  held  in  suspension  by  the  water,  and  the 
current,  when  strong,  moves  the  combined  silt  and  sand  with  surprising 
rapidity.  The  current  is  most  violent  during  a rise  in  the  river,  and  the  velo- 
city is  dependent  on  the  suddenness  of  the  rise,  the  level  of  the  water  being 
raised  from  above,  and  the  surface  slope  thereby  temporarily  increased.  On 
these  occasions  the  current  is  often  strong  enough  to  deepen  the  channel  20 
feet  in  a single  day,  and  if  impinging  on  a low  bank,  to  cut  several  yards  into 
the  shore  in  a single  hour.  There  is  a local  saying  that  the  Missouri  has  a 
standing  mortgage  on  the  entire  bottom  land  from  bluff  to  bluff,  and  the  farmer 
on  the  Missouri  bottom  often  learns  to  his  sorrow,  by  the  loss  of  his  farm,  that 
real  estate  is  not  always  immovable  property. 

The  water  of  the  Missouri  is  found  by  analysis  to  contain  less  solid  matter 
in  solution  than  is  found  in  the  water  of  any  other  important  river  of  the 
continent ; but  it  always  holds  a large  amount  of  silt  and  fine  sand  in  suspen- 


* The  weight  of  one  cubic  foot  of  different  varieties  of  Missouri  River  sand  and  silt  was  found  to  be  as 
follows  : 

Coarse  sand,  dry,  108  lbs.,  saturated,  132  lbs. 

Fine  sand,  “ 101  lbs.,  “ 125  lbs. 

Silt,  “ 87  lbs.,  “ 110  lbs. 

Silt,  very  fine,  “ 77  lbs. 


22 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


sion,  which,  originally  emanating  from  the  Yellowstone  and  the  upper  river,  is 
from  time  to  time  deposited  on  the  bars  and  again  picked  up,  till  it  has  finally 
been  carried  the  wdiole  length  of  the  stream  and  left  to  form  the  bars  and  delta 
below  New  Orleans.  Portions  of  the  deposits  remain  undisturbed  for  centu- 
ries, forming  the  foundation  of  timber  land  and  perhaps  farms  ; but  many  of 
them  are  of  the  most  temporary  nature,  swept  away  and  replaced  several  times 
in  a season.  The  cnaracter  of  the  deposit  also  varies  materially  with  different 
floods  ; sometimes  it  is  almost  entirely  a clayey  silt,  while  at  others,  especially 
if  the  flood  be  a violent  one,  it  is  largely  composed  of  heavy  sand.  Below  the 
silt  and  sand  there  is  found  a layer  of  coarse  gravel  and  loose  stones  of  varied 
geological  character,  and  containing  occasional  relics  of  animal  life.  This 
gravel  deposit  is  a collection  of  the  coarser  portions  of  the  annual  flood  deposits, 
which,  from  its  greater  weight,  having  been  moved  but  slowly  by  the  current, 
has  in  time  settled  to  the  lowest  limit  of  scour  ; it  is  only  found  at  considerable 
depths,  and  is  almost  entirely  wanting  in  those  parts  of  the  stream  where  the 
bed  rock  is  frequently  swept  bare. 

The  water  is  most  nearly  clear  during  the  low  water  of  the  winter,  and 
especially  when  the  river  is  frozen  ; it  is  muddiest  during  the  summer  flood, 
when  a thickness  of  half  an  inch  of  water  becomes  a perfectly  opaque  screen. 
Such  an  amount  of  solid  matter  can  only  be  kept  suspended  when  in  rapid 
motion,  and  is  at  once  deposited  wherever  the  current  slackens  ; hence  it 
usually  happens  that,  while  the  river  is  cutting  away  the  bottom  lands  on  one 
side  around  a bend,  a sand  bar  is  forming  on  the  other  ; and  after  the  flood  the 
channel  will  be  found  to  have  changed  its  position,  while  its  width  remains 
nearly  the  same  as  before.  The  very  violence  and  power  of  the  river  thus 
confine  it  between  narrow  banks,  and  become  the  masks  of  its  real  size,  quickly 
converting  any  slack-water  into  dry  land,  limiting  the  width  to  that  actually 
required  for  the  discharge,  and  depriving  the  Missouri  of  such  large  areas  of 
calm  still  water  as  those  which  add  so  much  to  the  beauty  and  apparent  size 
of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  For  the  same  reasons  the  “travelling  sands  " usually 
observable  in  rivers  with  sandy  bottoms,  and  which  have  been  described  at 
length  by  writers  on  the  Mississippi  River,  play  a much  less  active  part  in  the 
Missouri,  as  their  existence  demands  a sufficient  width  of  river  to  allow  the 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


23 


whole  discharge  of  water  to  pass  in  a shallow  stream  over  the  crest  of  the  sand 
bar  ; they  undoubtedly  occur  in  this  river,  but  are  confined  to  straight  reaches 
of  the  stream,  where  the  channel  is  broad  and  but  poorly  defined,  and  to  seasons 
of  high  water  ; while  their  action  is  slow  and  unimportant  compared  with  the 
violent  wash  and  scour  on  the  curves  or  where  the  current  is  rapid.  When 
the  river  cuts  into  a timbered  part  of  the  bottom  land  the  destruction  of  the 
bank  lets  the  trees  fall  into  the  water  ; they  usually  remain  for  a short  time, 
seldom  as  much  as  a day,  at  the  spot  where  they  fall,  forming  a temporary  pro- 
tection to  the  bank  and  causing  local  irregularities  in  the  channel  ; but  they 
soon  become  free  and  float  down  the  stream  till  caught  by  some  obstruction  in 
the  bottom;  here  they  soon  lose  their  leaves  and  smaller  branches,  and  unless  set 
free  by  the  rising  water  or  by  the  loosening  of  the  obstruction  which  entangles 
them,  they  remain  fast  and  form  the  snags  which  so  greatly  impede  navigation. 
Besides  the  live  trees  washed  into  the  river,  every  flood  picks  up  a large  quantity 
of  loose  timber  and  rubbish  from  the  sand  bars  and  low  portions  of  the  bottom 
land,  the  amount  of  drift  which  even  a moderate  flood  brings  down  being  very 
great. 

When  the  width  of  the  bottom  land  is  not  more  than  two  or  three  miles, 
the  usual  course  of  the  river  is  to  follow  along  the  base  of  one  of  the  bluffs  till 
deflected  by  some  obstacle,  then  to  cross  the  valley  to  the  other  bluff,  follow 
that  for  a short  distance,  and  then  return  to  the  former  side,  thus  pursuing  a 
serpentine  course,  and  alternately  inpinging  upon  each  bluff.  The  meander- 
ings  of  the  river  are  then  more  marked  and  regular  than  in  other  streams  ; the 
vein  of  strongest  current  can  generally  be  distinguished  by  a casual  observer, 
it  crosses  the  stream  diagonally  in  the  straight  reach  between  the  curves,  and  is 
always  strongest  on  the  outside  of  the  curves  ; the  river  constantly  washes  the 
lower  bank  as  it  crosses  the  bottom  land,  and  thereby  impinges  on  the  opposite 
bluff' at  a lower  point  than  hitherto,  so  that  unless  held  by  natural  projections  in 
the  bluffs,  or  other  protection,  the  pair  of  reversed  curves,  resembling  a large  letter 
S somewhat  flattened,  and  corresponding  to  the  points  where  the  stream  leaves 
one  bluff  and  where  it  strikes  the  other,  by  cutting  away  the  bottom  land  and 
forming  fresh  sand  bars,  are  continually  advancing  down  the  valley.  When  the 
bottom  land  has  a greater  width  than  two  or  three  miles,  the  river  is  liable  to 


24 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


turn  back  to  the  bluff  it  has  left,  before  reaching  the  opposite  one  ; its  course  is 
in  this  case  very  irregular,  and  for  more  than  100  miles  it  will  sometimes  fail  to 
cross  the  bottom  land.  Such  is  the  case  where  the  Missouri  forms  the  boundary 
line  between  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  the  river  keeping  near  the  Nebraska  bluff 
almost  the  entire  distance. 

The  most  favorable  location  for  a bridge  is  just  below  one  of  the  great 
bends,  especially  if  the  current  of  the  river  there  impinges  upon  a rocky  shore. 
Under  these  circumstances  the  bed  rock,  to  which  the  foundations  of  the  channel 
piers  must  in  general  be  carried,  is  found  at  a comparatively  small  depth  on 
the  bluff  side,  while  the  piers  on  the  opposite  sand  bar  can  often  be  founded 
safely  without  going  to  any  very  great  depth  ; a moderate  stone  protection 
above  the  bridge  will  also  suffice  to  secure  permanency  of  channel.  The  least 
desirable  location  is  on  a long  straight  reach,  especially  if  bordered  on  botli 
sides  by  the  low  alluvial  banks  of  the  bottom  land.  The  bed  rock  will  then 
usually  be  found  only  at  great  depth,  and  the  current  veins  are  very  variable, 
making  it  necessary  to  found  all  piers  at  the  full  depth,  and  largely  increasing 
the  expense  and  complications  of  shore  protections,  as  well  as  requiring  a 
greater  length  of  bridge. 

Though  the  current  is  too  strong  to  allow  the  Missouri  to  freeze 
directly  across,  the  ice  forms  rapidly  along  the  banks  in  cold  weather,  and  a 
single  frosty  night  will  suffice  to  fill  the  river  with  loose  cakes  of  soft  ice,  which 
have  broken  off  from  the  shores.  If  the  weather  continues  cold,  these  cakes, 
rounded  by  constant  attrition  and  increasing  in  strength  and  thickness  as  they 
float,  freeze  to  each  other,  and,  finally  jamming  at  some  narrow  or  obstructed 
point,  pack  together,  and  close  entirely  across,  sometimes  gorging  to  the  bottom 
of  the  river.  At  Kansas  City  the  river  usually  closes  in  this  way  in  December, 
and  continues  closed  till  February,  when  the  ice  is  sometimes  found  to  be  as 
much  as  two  feet  thick  ; there  is,  however,  little  regularity  about  it,  the  river 
having,  in  some  winters,  remained  open  through  the  whole  season,  and  in  others 
closing  and  breaking  up  several  successive  times.  The  river  is  always  low 
when  frozen,  and  if  the  ice  is  left  to  rot  by  the  warmth  of  the  sun,  unaccom- 
panied by  rains,  it  breaks  up  quietly,  and  with  a slow  current ; the  force  of  the 
shove,  even  in  this  case,  however,  is  enough  to  do  very  serious  injury  to 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


25 


temporary  works.  But  if  the  breaking  up  is  caused  by  rains,  it  is  accompanied 
by  a sudden  rise  of  several  feet,  a rapid  current,  and  destructive  gorges  ; such 
was  the  case  in  1867,  when  the  ice  broke  up,  on  the  7th  of  February,  with  a 
sudden,  though  temporary,  rise,  and  a current  of  six  or  seven  miles  an  hour. 

This  behavior  of  the  ice  is  not  unlike  that  on  all  large  rivers,  while  its 
movements  are  much  more  violent  and  destructive  in  colder  climates  than  that 
of  Kansas  City  ; the  only  danger  to  be  apprehended  comes  from  the  first  five 
or  ten  miles  of  ice,  as  the  rapid  current  and  crooked  channel  soon  break  the 
larger  fields  into  cakes  too  small  to  do  much  damage.  The  phenomena  of  the 
shifting  channel  and  variable  bottom  were,  on  the  other  hand,  in  a large  meas- 
ure peculiar  to  the  Missouri,  and  the  difficulties  which  they  must  cause  under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances,  were  augmented  by  the  imperfect  under- 
standing of  them  which  existed  ; they  had  been  made  subjects  of  common 
report  rather  than  of  accurate  observation  ; they  were  well  known  to  old  settlers 
and  to  river  pilots,  but  the  Government  Surveys,  to  which  we  are  indebted  for 
our  best  information  concerning  the  Misissippi  and  its  other  tributaries,  had  not 
been  extended  to  the  Missouri.  The  isolated  character  of  the  location,  nearly 
three  hundred  miles  from  any  general  markets  or  machine  shops,  and  a very 
much  greater  distance  from  the  manufacturing  centres  of  the  country,  was  an 
additional  source  of  trouble,  involving  the  construction  of  an  equipment  which 
could  elsewhere  be  bought  or  hired  in  a few  hours,  and  causing  occasional 
inconvenience  by  delays  in  the  arrivals  of  material  ordered  from  a great  dis- 
tance. 

As  Kansas  City  is  situated  immediately  below  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw,  the 
Missouri  is  there  affected  by  all  the  floods  of  the  upper  rivers,  the  Platte,  and 
the  Kaw,  but  free  from  those  of  the  Osage  and  the  lesser  tributaries  below. 
The  distance  between  the  bluffs  is  here  about  two  miles,  but  the  course  of  the 
channel  is  somewhat  complicated  by  changes  in  their  direction  ; the  eastern 
bluff  curves  from  its  nearly  north  and  south  course  to  one  bearing  east  and 
west ; that  which  is  the  west  bluff  of  the  Missouri,  a few  miles  above,  becomes 
here  the  north  bluff  of  the  Kaw,  leaving  a considerable  bottom  land  west  of  the 
city  ; east  of  the  town  the  southern  bluff  follows  a tolerably  regular  course. 
The  channel  has  continued  for  an  indefinite  time  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  in  front 

4 


26 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


of  the  city,  but  material  changes  have  taken  place  above.  The  shore  line  of 
1826,  the  oldest  of  which  any  record  remains,  differed  3,000  feet  from  the 
present  shore  line,  the  river  having  been  steadily  cutting  into  the  Kaw  bottom, 
above  Kansas  City.*  The  effect  of  this  cutting  has  been  to  diminish  the  angle 
at  which  the  current  impinges  on  the  bluff  in  front  of  the  city,  so  that  in  1867 
the  current  line  had  become  nearly  parallel  to  the  shore  line  at  this  point, 
though  somewhat  divergent  to  the  north,  causing  it  to  wear  away  the  opposite 
shore  a mile  farther  down.  A further  continuance  of  this  abrasion  of  the  Kaw 
bottom,  must  have  resulted  in  so  sharp  a bend  as  to  throw  the  current  against 
the  northern  shore  at  or  near  the  bridge  site,  and  this  change  of  channel  would 
have  been  accompanied  by  the  deposit  of  a sand  bar  in  front  of  the  steamboat 
landing,  and  eventually,  by  the  formation  of  a new  bottom  land  between  the 
city  and  the  river. 

A daily  water  record  was  kept  during  the  whole  progress  of  the  work  from 
January  1,  1867,  to  June  30,  1869. f The  surface  of  the  water  at  the  former 
date  was  taken  as  a datum  height  and  called  100  ; this  served  as  the  bench  to 
which  all  levels  subsequently  taken  upon  the  works  were  referred.  This  eleva- 
tion may  also  be  taken  as  the  ordinary  low-water  level,  though  the  extreme  low- 
water  mark  is  about  three  feet  lower  ; a stage  of  97.4  was  observed  on  the  24th 
of  December,  1867,  and  the  low  water  of  1860  was  probably  a few  inches  below 
this.  The  height  of  the  great  flood  of  1844,  the  highest  flood  of  which  any 
authentic  record  could  be  found,  was  pointed  out  in  several  places  by  old  resi- 
dents, the  elevation  of  the  water  marks  thus  shown  was  carefully  levelled,  and 
the  height  of  this  flood  referred  to  the  datum  line  ; the  result  of  these  observa- 
tions proved  that  the  water  then  reached  the  elevation  1 34.29,  showing  a range 
of  37  feet  three  and  a half  inches  between  the  extremes  of  high  and  low  water. 
The  highest  flood  which  has  occurred  since  took  place  in  1858  ; but  the  water 
then  rose  no  higher  than  122,  falling  more  than  12  feet  below  the  flood  of  1844. 

The  Missouri  is  subject  to  floods  of  greater  or  less  magnitude  during  six 
months  of  the  year,  from  February  to  July  inclusive.  The  most  violent  of  the 
early  floods  are  to  be  attributed  to  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  in  the  Kaw  and 
the  Platte,  especially  the  latter ; the  others  are  due  to  local  causes.  In  June 


* See  Map,  Plate  I. 


f This  record  is  given  in  profile  on  Plate  II. 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


27 


comes  the  mountain  rise  from  the  upper  river,  which  usually  attains  its  greatest 
height  early  in  July  ; it  is  the  most  certain,  and  except  on  rare  occasions  the 
highest  flood  of  the  year.  By  the  1st  of  August  the  river  has  begun  to  subside, 
and  it  continues  to  fall,  with  few  or  no  disturbances,  till  the  low  winter  stage  is 
reached.  The  best  working  season  is  from  the  middle  of  August  to  the  middle 
of  December,  the  winter  work  being  made  extra  hazardous  by  the  dangers  from 
ice,  and  the  spring  freshets  greatly  curtailing  the  amount  of  work  which  can  be 
done  before  the  end  of  the  summer. 

Observations  taken  to  determine  the  speed  of  the  current  showed  a mini- 
mum velocity  in  the  channel  of  two  miles  an  hour — this  being  in  the  early  part 
of  February,  1868,  when  the  river  was  frozen  and  the  water  extremely  low. 
The  greatest  velocity  accurately  observed  was  in  April,  1867,  being  at  the  rate 
of  12.7  feet  per  second,  or  a little  more  than  eight  mdes  and  a half  an  hour. 
As  the  speed  of  the  current  is  largely  dependent  on  the  rapidity  with  which  a 
flood  rises,  and  as  the  river  has  been  known  to  rise  at  other  times  and  places 
much  more  rapidly  than  was  observed  at  Kansas  City  during  the  building  of  the 
bridge,  it  is  likely  that  the  maximum  speed  is  considerably  in  excess  of  that 
given  above,  and  it  may  be  as  great  as  12  miles  an  hour. 

The  unstable  condition  of  the  river  bottom  was  fully  confirmed  by  sound- 
ings taken  in  the  spring  of  1867,  at  four  successive  times,  from  which  cross- 
sections  of  the  river  were  carefully  plotted.*  Changes  continued  to  take  place 
with  equally  marked  effect  during  the  two  following  years,  but  as  their  very 
frequency  made  each  individual  change  unimportant  no  record  was  kept  of  the 
subsequent  changes,  beyond  the  soundings  taken  from  time  to  time  at  the  sev- 
eral pier  sites  and  for  special  purposes. 

In  selecting  a location  for  the  bridge,  it  was  necessary  not  only  to  place  it 
where  it  should  best  fulfil  its  commercial  requirements,  and  to  see  that  it  formed 
as  slight  an  obstruction  to  navigation  as  was  possible,  but  also  to  locate  it  at  a 
point  where  a moderate  amount  of  artificial  shore  protection  would  suffice  to 
hold  the  channel  permanently  at  the  draw.  As  the  bridge  was  designed  to 
accommodate  the  high  way  travel  as  well  as  the  railroad,  it  was  necessary  that 
it  should  be  opposite  the  city,  and  a very  favorable  location  four  miles  below 


* See  Plate  II. 


28 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


had  to  be  rejected.  The  location  adopted  is  a few  hundred  yards  above  the 
public  steamboat  landing,  and  crosses  the  river  at  a point  where  the  channel, 
after  sweeping  round  the  long  curve  above  the  town,  is  still  close  to  the  Kansas 
City  shore.  The  southern  bank  is  here  a rocky  bluff,  and  rock  was  found  in  the 
channel  near  this  bank  only  a few  feet  below  the  low-water  level,  with  a local 
dip  towards  the  north  of  about  1 in  20.  The  northern  shore  is  the  customary 
low  Missouri  bottom  land,  below  the  extreme  high-water  mark,  though  rarely 
overflowed.  The  width  of  the  river,  measured  from  the  wooded  shore  on  the 
north  to  the  rocky  bluff  on  the  south,  is  almost  exactly  a quarter  of  a mile,  thus 
making  the  crossing  a conveniently  short  one  ; at  low- water  the  water  way 
contracts  to  about  750  feet,  leaving  from  500  to  600  feet  of  sand  bar  between 
the  water  and  the  northern  bank.  When  the  location  was  made,  the  surface  of 
this  sand  bar  was  at  an  elevation  of  104 ; but  it  has  been  raised  by  the  deposits 
of  the  three  succeeding  seasons,  and  is  now  111.  The  southern  portion  of  this 
bar,  lying  nearest  the  channel,  is  very  variable,  being  liable  to  be  washed  out 
and  replaced  several  times  in  a year  ; but  the  northern  portion,  about  400  feet  in 
width,  seems  to  have  become  permanent,  and  unless  disturbed  by  an  extraordi- 
nary flood  within  a few  years,  it  will  become  a part  of  the  wooded  shore.  The 
channel  lying  along  the  south  bank  was  regulated  by  the  long  curve  in  the  river 
above,  and  would  be  rendered  permanent  by  protecting  the  west  or  outside  shore 
around  this  bend.  This  protection  was  demanded,  not  only  by  the  bridge,  but 
by  the  general  interests  of  the  city,  the  value  of  the  bottom  land  being  too  great 
to  allow  it  to  be  carelessly  washed  away  ; while  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  in- 
cluding the  steamboat  landing,  was  liable  to  be  shut  off  from  the  river  if  the 
channel  shifted  any  farther  to  the  north. 

These  merits  of  location  may  be  briefly  enumerated  as  follows  : 

First. — Proximity  to  business  and  the  city. 

Second. — Shortness  of  the  bridge  line. 

Third. — Small  depth  to  rock  on  south  side. 

Fourth. — Permanency  of  the  channel,  this  being  easily  secured  by  protec- 
tions demanded  by  other  interests  than  those  of  the  bridge. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


29 


The  sole  objection  to  this  location  lay  in  the  southern  approach,  which 
made  it  necessary  to  leave  the  bridge  on  a sharp  curve,  and  involved  a cut  70 
feet  deep  ; these  were  matters  of  little  weight  when  compared  with  the  merits 
just  enumerated.* 

Great  care  was  taken  to  ascertain  the  exact  direction  of  the  current  and 
the  bridge  line.  Observations  were  made  with  two  transits  simultaneously  on  a 
number  of  floats  ; the  result  of  these  observations  was  mapped  out  on  a chart, 
and  the  direction  of  the  current  was  thus  accurately  determined.  The  course 
in  mid-channel  as  thus  obtained  made  an  angle  of  72°  with  the  bridge  line  ; the 
piers  were  located  parallel  to  the  current,  and  the  bridge  built  on  a skew  of 
18°.  The  floats  used  were  made  by  inserting  a rod,  to  which  a small  flag  was 
attached,  in  the  neck  of  a bottle  loaded  with  shot,  the  amount  of  shot  being 
sufficient  to  sink  the  flag  nearly  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  These  floats  drew, 
on  an  average,  about  four  feet,  or  the  usual  draught  of  a Missouri  River  steam- 
boat ; they  therefore  gave  the  true  navigable  current.  The  direction  of  the 
current  varies  a little  with  the  stage  of  the  water,  as  well  as  with  the  different 
forms  which  the  smaller  sand  bars  assume  in  successive  years,  but  during  the 
season  of  navigation  it  has  not  been  found  to  show  any  material  divergence 
from  the  line  thus  determined  and  given  to  the  piers. 

The  pivot  pier  was  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  channel ; the  piers  were  num- 
bered from  the  southern  end  of  the  bridge,  and  the  lengths  of  the  several  spans 
were  as  follows : a fixed  span  of  132  feet,  extending  from  the  shore  to  Pier 
No.  1 ; a pivot  draw  363  feet  long,  each  arm  having  a clear  span  of  over  160 
feet,  as  required  by  the  Act  of  Congress  ; a fixed  span  of  250  feet  from  Pier  No.  3 
to  Pier  No.  4 ; leaving  a remaining  distance  of  577  feet  divided  in  the  original 
plans  into  three  spans  of  equal  length,  though  subsequently  changed  to  two 
spans  of  200  feet  each  and  one  of  177  feet  ; to  this  must  be  added  a shore 
span  of  68  feet  at  the  south  end,  extending  over  the  width  of  a street  and  the 
Pacific  Railroad  track,  and  which  made  the  total  length  of  bridge  from  outside 
to  outside  of  masonry  1,400  feet.  The  lengths  of  spans  given  here  are  gross 
distances  taken  from  centre  to  centre  of  the  adjoining  piers.  The  nearness  of 
the  channel  to  the  south  bank  made  it  impossible  to  place  a span  of  250  feet 


The  profile  and  alignement  are  given  on  Plate  II. 


30 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


on  each  side  of  the  draw,  as  required  by  the  Act  of  Congress,  without  neglect- 
ing the  more  important  provisions  of  that  Act,  which  requires  the  draw  to  be 
placed  over  the  centre  of  the  navigable  channel.  The  requirement  of  two 
spans  of  that  length  was  made,  as  has  already  been  stated,  with  special  reference 
to  the  Mississippi,  where  raft  navigation  forms  an  important  part  of  the  river 
commerce  ; on  the  Missouri,  raft  navigation,  except  on  the  most  diminutive 
scale,  is  impossible,  owing  to  the  sharp  curves,  strong  current,  and  multitude  of 
snags,  while  no  sufficient  supply  of  good  timber  is  found  along  the  river  to 
make  rafting  profitable,  even  if  it  were  possible.  Endeavoring  to  conform  as 
nearly  as  possible  to  the  Act,  a span  of  250  feet  was  placed  immediately  north 
of  the  draw,  but  the  unexpected  destruction  of  the  foundation  works  of  Pier 
No.  4,  in  the  spring  of  1868,  made  a further  change  necessary  ; the  site  of  the 
pier  was  moved  50  feet  farther  south,  and  the  long  span  finally  built  between 
Piers  4 and  5. 

The  month  of  April,  1867,  was  distinguished  by  a very  extraordinary 
spring  flood,  caused  by  the  united  freshets  of  the  Platte  and  Kaw  ; on  the  29th 
of  the  month  the  river  had  risen  to  119.3,  three  feet  and  three  inches  higher  than 
the  June  flood  of  that  year,  and  four  feet  above  the  highest  water  of  either  of 
the  two  succeeding  years.  During  the  war  the  Government  had  established  a 
supply  station  in  the  bottom  west  of  the  town,  and  a small  portion  of  the  bank 
had  been  protected  by  a covering  of  riprap,  to  serve  as  a steamboat  landing. 
The  river  had  washed  the  bank  away  both  above  and  below  this  protection, 
leaving  a projecting  point,  the  end  of  which  alone  was  covered  with  stone  ; 
though  the  whole  discharge  of  the  river  passed  outside  of  this  point,  strong 
eddies  were  formed  on  each  side  of  the  neck  of  land  connecting  it  with  the 
shore,  which  gradually  reduced  it  to  a long  and  narrow  isthmus.  On  the  10th 
of  April  the  width  had  been  reduced  in  places  to  only  18  inches  ; on  the  follow- 
ing day  the  two  eddies  met,  entirely  destroying  the  neck  of  land,  and  allowing 
the  channel  of  the  river  to  shift  at  once  from  the  north  to  the  south  side  of  the 
rocky  point,  changing  its  position  nearly  500  feet  in  a single  day.  The 
pile  of  rocks  still  remains  in  its  old  place,  having  been  left  almost  dry  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river  during  the  low  water  of  December,  1867.  As  the  chan- 
nel shifted  suddenly  from  the  north  to  the  south  side  of  it,  it  lias  never  been 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


31 


exposed  to  the  most  violent  force  of  the  current,  but  its  height  has  gradually 
diminished,  and  it  will  in  time  sink  out  of  sight. 

The  stone  protection  above  the  bridge  was  begun  during  this  flood,  and 
continued  through  the  summer  and  early  autumn  of  the  same  year  ; it  was 
carried  westward  from  the  point  where  the  rocky  bluff  and  shore  line  separate 
above  the  bridge,  to  within  150  yards  of  the  State  line.  This  protection  was 
executed  under  the  direction  of  the  engineers,  a portion  of  the  expense  being 
borne  by  the  city.  It  consists  of  a simple  revetement  of  riprap  stone,  a large 
portion  of  the  stone  used  having  been  taken  from  a cut  in  the  southern 
approach  to  the  bridge.  Whenever  practicable,  the  shore  was  first  worked  by 
laborers  to  a slope  of  about  one  to  one,  and  the  stone  was  evenly  distributed 
over  this  slope  ; but  when  the  revetement  was  begun,  the  water  was  too  high  to 
admit  of  this,  and  the  stone  was  simply  dumped  over  the  bank,  till  the  heap 
appeared  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  This  protection  has  required  some 
repairing,  the  stones  having  slid  down  the  slope,  replacing  the  soil  which  the 
river  had  washed  from  beneath  them  ; but  it  has  proved  perfectly  effective,  and 
the  river  has  in  no  instance  changed  the  line  of  the  protected  shore.  In  the 
following  spring  the  protection  was  extended  to  the  State  line,  and  during  the 
low-water  season  of  1868-69,  it  was  carried,  in  the  interest  of  the  land  owners, 
as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw. 

The  railroad  approaches  the  bridge  from  the  north,  with  an  ascending  grade 
of  one  in  one  hundred,  till  within  618  feet  of  the  bridge,  after  which  the  track 
is  level  ; this  leaves  room  for  a train  to  stand  between  the  grade  and  the  bridge. 
The  2,380  feet  of  this  approach,  adjoining  the  bridge,  is  an  open  trestle  work, 
thus  making  an  effective  water-way  of  3,775  feet  in  times  of  extreme  flood, 
when  the  bottom  land  is  overflowed.  The  trestle  is  substantially  built  of  native 
oak  timber  ; the  50  bents  nearest  to  the  bridge  rest  on  piles,  and  the  others, 
90  in  number,  are  on  sub-sills.  The  roadway  approach  is  by  a side  trestle, 
built  out  on  the  west  from  the  bents  of  the  railroad  trestle  ; it  has  a grade  of 
four  in  one  hundred.  The  two  approaches  unite  at  the  second  bent  from  the 
bridge,  where  is  placed  a toll-house  and  gates.*  This  trestle  was  built  by  the 


* See  Plate  IX. 


32 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


Company  at  such  intervals  as  the  carpenters  could  be  most  advantageously 
employed  upon  it,  in  1807  and  1868. 

The  carriage  road  was  continued  south  of  the  bridge  only  far  enough  to 
allow  teams  to  turn  off  into  the  adjoining  streets.  The  railroad  approach  leaves 
the  bridge  on  a 9°  curve  to  the  right,  this  curve  beginning  at  the  middle  of  the 
132-foot  span  ; with  a maximum  descending  grade  of  42.24  feet  in  a mile,  it 
passes  through  the  bluff  in  a clay  cut  72  feet  deep,  and  then  passes  down  along 
a rock  cut  in  the  west  side  of  the  bluff  to  the  depot  grounds  in  the  West  Kansas 
bottom.  The  grading  of  this  approach  was  let  by  contract  and  the  work  com- 
pleted during  the  year  1867. 


CHAPTER  III. 


FOUNDATIONS. 

From  the  inception  of  the  work  the  subject  of  foundations  was  the  para- 
mount study  of  the  engineers,  the  only  real  difficulties  of  the  task  lying  below 
the  water.  The  methods  of  founding  which  have  been  in  most  common  use  in 
the  United  States  were  not  to  be  thought  of,  as  the  continual  wash  and  scour  of 
the  river  would  have  made  piles  and  crib-work  useless,  while  the  great  depth 
and  rapid  current  must  have  rendered  coffer-dams  very  hazardous  and  expen- 
sive. The  use  of  iron  columns,  sunk  by  the  pneumatic  process,  was  considered  ; 
but  the  conviction  was  early  and  confidently  formed  that  a cluster  of  separate 
columns  resting  upon  the  rock  at  a depth  but  little  below  the  scotir  limit,  as 
would  have  been  the  case  in  the  most  exposed  foundations  at  this  location, 
would  fail  to  give  the  stability  needed  by  the  channel  piers  ; while  it  was 
believed  that  the  sand-bar  piers,  which  are  rarely  exposed  to  a strong  current, 
might  be  founded  in  a way  less  expensive,  though  amply  secure.  It  was  also 
feared  that  in  the  absence  of  pneumatic  plant  in  America,  and  with  the  then 
high  prices  of  iron  work,  the  pneumatic  process  would  prove  in  its  entire 
execution  an  unreasonably  expensive  one. 

The  opposite  action  of  floods  on  the  two  sides  of  the  river,  causing  a 
violent  scour  along  the  Kansas  City  shore  where  the  channel  lies,  but  a sand 
deposit  near  the  north  bank,  showed  that  the  precautions  necessary  for  the 
channel  piers  would  be  a useless  expense  if  taken  at  every  foundation.  The 
channel  must  be  retained  near  the  south  bank  on  account  of  the  draw,  if  for 
no  other  reason — thus  rendering  this  phenomenon  of  scour  and  deposit  a perma- 
nent one,  subject  only  to  such  variations  as  are  due  to  the  increased  width  of 
channel  in  an  extreme  flood.  It  was  therefore  thought  that  if  the  channel 


34 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


piers  were  founded  directly  upon  the  rock,  the  others  might  safely  be  put  upon 
piles,  the  care  taken  to  protect  the  pile  foundations  increasing  with  their  near- 
ness to  the  channel.  This  arrangement  was  believed  to  have  the  farther 
advantage  of  making  it  practicable  to  begin  work  on  the  sand-bar  piers  at  an 
earlier  date  than  would  otherwise  have  been  possible.  It  was  accordingly 
determined  that  Piers  Nos.  1,  2,  and  3,  should  rest  directly  upon  the  rock, 
while  the  four  more  northerly  piers  should  have  pile  foundations  ; the  piles 
were  to  be  driven  in  excavated  pits,  cut  off  in  every  instance  at  a considerable 
depth  below  the  usual  bed  of  the  river,  and  further  secured  by  an  ample 
protection  of  riprap  ; those  under  Pier  No.  4 were  to  be  driven  home  to  the 
rock,  and  cut  off  at  least  25  feet  below  extreme  low-water.  The  experience 
acquired  during  the  progress  of  the  works  led  to  subsequent  changes  in  the 
plan  ; Pier  No.  4 was  treated  as  a channel  pier,  and  founded  on  the  bed  rock, 
and  the  piles  under  Pier  No.  5 were  driven  home  to  the  rock,  thus  reducing 
the  number  of  pile  foundations  to  three,  only  two  of  which  depend  upon  the 
frictional  surface  of  the  piles  for  their  support.  Piers  Nos.  5 and  6 are  on  the 
dry  land  of  the  sand  bar  for  nine  months  in  every  year,  and  Pier  No.  7,  situated 
within  the  line  of  the  wooded  shore,  is  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  water  only 
on  rare  occasions.  During  the  progress  of  the  works  no  current  strong  enough 
to  produce  scour  was  noticed  about  any  one  of  these  piers. 

All  the  foundations  were  put  in  of  a sufficient  length  for  a double-track 
bridge. 

Although  the  foundations  may  properly  be  grouped  in  the  two  classes  of 
channel  and  sand-bar  foundations,  as  above  mentioned,  the  characteristics  of 
several  pier  sites  were  so  different  that  it  became  necessary  to  treat  each  by 
itself,  and  to  prepare  as  many  sets  of  plans  as  there  were  piers.  The  south 
abutments  and  the  two  small  pillars  on  the  bank  were  built  on  the  rock  which 
was  found  a few  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  their  foundations  present- 
ing no  greater  difficulties  than  are  common  to  every  cellar  wall.  They  were 
built  in  the  fall  and  early  winter  of  1867-68,  the  work  upon  them  being 
executed  at  such  intervals  as  the  masons  were  not  employed  upon  the  river 
piers.  The  other  foundations  were  taken  up  in  the  order  of  convenience  ; the 
dates  at  which  the  work  in  the  river  was  begun  in  each  instance,  and  the  dates 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


35 


at  which  the  several  foundations  were  ready  for  the  masonry,  were  as  fol- 
lows : 


Pier  No  1,  Water  Deadener  sunk Aug. 

“ 2,  Caisson  launched Sept. 

“ 3,  First  Pile  driven  in  False  Works  Aug. 

“ 4,  “ “ “ “ Sept. 

“ 5,  Erection  of  Caisson  begun Jan. 

“ 6,  First  Sheet  Pile  driven Sept. 

“ 7,  First  Pile  driven Feb. 


16,  1867. 

Masonry  begun  . . Oct. 

16,  1867. 

23,  1868. 

SC 

“ . . Feb. 

20,  1869. 

27,  1867. 

SC 

“ . . May 

20,  1868. 

2,  1867. 

SC 

“ . . April 

2,  1869. 

20,  1868. 

sc 

“ ..Jan. 

14,  1869. 

3,  1867. 

sc 

“ . .Jan. 

3,  1868. 

27,  1867. 

sc 

“ ..Oct. 

1,  1867. 

These  dates  do  not  in  themselves  give  a correct  idea  of  the  time  actually 
consumed  in  putting  in  the  substructure  of  the  piers  ; the  work  on  some  of 
them  was  more  than  once  suspended,  either  on  account  of  the  season  or  to 
accommodate  other  work  which  had  momentarily  become  of  greater  impor- 
tance. After  the  caisson  had  been  built  at  the  site  of  Pier  No.  5,  it  was  left 
standing  for  two  months,  until  machinery  could  be  spared  to  sink  it.  At  Pier 
No.  4,  the  first  set  of  works  was  entirely  destroyed  in  the  spring  of  1868,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  site  of  the  pier  had  to  be  changed,  a new  plan  of 
foundation  prepared,  and  the  first  pile  in  the  new  false  works  was  not  driven 
till  the  9th  day  of  August,  1868  ; moreover,  the  date  given  above  as  that  at 
which  the  masonry  of  this  pier  was  begun,  is  in  reality  that  at  which  the  laying 
of  masonry  was  resumed  after  the  completion  of  the  foundation  and  the 
removal  of  the  upper  false  works  ; the  bulk  of  the  subaqueous  masonry  here  was 
put  in  during  the  process  of  founding.  In  the  cases  of  Piers  1 and  2,  the  caissons 
were  built  on  shore,  and  the  time  occupied  in  the  foundations,  including  this 
preparation,  was  therefore  greater  than  the  table  indicates. 

A correct  idea  of  the  time  occupied  in  the  different  foundations,  as  well  as 
of  the  characteristic  features  of  the  several  plans,  can  only  be  given  by  separate 
narratives  of  the  substructure  operations  at  each  of  the  seven  pier  sites. 


PIER  No.  1. 

This  pier  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  main  steamboat  channel,  and  at 
ordinary  stages  of  water  it  stands  about  100  feet  from  the  shore  line.  The  bed 
rock  was  found  at  an  elevation  of  84,  or  13  feet  below  the  extreme  low- water 


36 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


mark  ; at  the  pier  site  it  was  of  irregular  form,  and  though  found  to  fall  off 
rapidly  a few  feet  farther  north,  it  here  presented  a surface  that  was  almost  level, 
though  inconveniently  rough.  This  rock  was  almost  bare,  being  seldom  covered 
with  more  than  a foot  or  two  of  deposit.  The  current  was  but  little  less  rapid 
than  in  the  middle  of  the  channel,  and  was  far  too  strong  to  allow  of  any  exten- 
sive operations  being  carried  on  within  it.  It  was  therefore  thought  necessary 
first  of  all  to  obtain  slack  water  about  the  pier  site,  after  which  the  foundation 
works,  more  properly  so  called,  could  safely  proceed. 

A large  timber  caisson,  designed  to  serve  as  a water  deadener,  or  break, 
water,  was  built  on  the  shore,  about  midway  between  the  south  end  of  the 
bridge  line  and  the  Company’s  machine  shop.  It  was  built  of  oak,  with  pointed 
ends  ; the  entire  floor  and  the  sides  to  a height  of  15  feet  were  solid,  and  of 
square  timber  ; its  outside  measurements  were  65  feet  long  from  nose  to  nose, 
18  feet  wide,  and  27  feet  and  three  inches  high  ; it  was  stiffened  internally  by 
rows  of  vertical  truss  bracing,  and  bound  together  by  long  iron  rods  built  into 
the  solid  timber  of  the  bottom  and  sides  ; the  whole  was  thoroughly  caulked, 
and  valves  were  provided  for  admitting  or  excluding  the  water.*  After  it  had 
served  its  purpose  as  a water  deadener,  it  was  raised  and  finally  sunk  below 
Pier  No.  2,  where  it  forms  the  foundation  of  the  lower  draw  rest.  On  the  19th 
of  May,  1869,  this  caisson  was  launched  ; it  was  kept  anchored  to  the  shore  till 
the  7th  of  the  following  August,  when  the  river  was  thought  to  be  low  enough 
to  begin  work  ; it  was  then  towed  to  a point  about  100  feet  above  the  pier  site, 
secured  by  four  wire  cables  reaching  to  the  shore,  and  sunk  by  admitting  water 
through  the  valves  and  throwing  in  a ballast  of  broken  stone.  Being  placed 
transversely  with  the  current,  it  formed  a complete  water  deadener,  and  quiet 
slack  .water  was  secured  at  the  pier  site. 

A bottomless  caisson,  which  should  serve  as  an  enclosure  to  build  the  pier 
in,  was  also  constructed.  It  was  built  on  a floor  placed  between  four  boats  well 
braced  together  ; it  was  a frame  structure,  entirely  of  oak  and  planked  verti- 
cally ; the  ground  plan  was  substantially  the  same  as  that  of  all  other  caissons 
built  upon  the  work,  the  ends  being  formed  of  two  short  sides  making  a right 
angle  together  ; its  total  length  was  70  feet,  and  the  width  19.5  feet.  The  first 


The  plans  of  this  caisson  are  given  on  Plate  III. 


. 


. 


' 


KANSAS  CITY  BRID 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


37 


section  was  13  feet  high,  and  as  soon  as  this  was  completed  it  was  lowered 
between  the  boats  almost  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  a second  section,  11 
feet  high,  added  to  it.  The  lower  edge  was  shaped  to  fit  the  irregularities  of 
the  rock,  and  the  caisson  was  surrounded  by  a sheet  piling  of  planks  sharpened 
to  a feather  edge  and  secured  by  a double  set  of  guides.  The  caisson  was 
thoroughly  caulked,  braced  internally,  and  fitted  with  a false  bottom  ; this 
bottom,  which  was  put  in  to  facilitate  handling,  was  built  in  sections,  placed  a 
little  above  the  lower  edge,  and  held  in  position  by  inclined  braces  bearing 
against  the  caisson  timbers  and  adjusted  with  folding  wedges.  To  aid  in  placing 
the  caisson  upon  the  rock,  eight  posts  were  provided,  each  60  feet  long  and 
16  inches  square,  built  of  8 by  16  oak  timber  of  shorter  lengths,  with  a central 
hole  three  inches  in  diameter  extending  from  end  to  end,  through  which  a two- 
inch  steel  drill,  welded  to  an  iron  rod  65  feet  long,  might  be  worked. 

When  complete,  the  caisson,  still  carried  by  the  boats,  was  carefully  floated 
into  position,  and  four  of  the  60-foot  posts  with  the  drills,  raised  on  either  side 
of  it.  The  posts  sank  by  their  own  weight  through  the  thin  layer  of  sand,  and 
were  at  once  made  fast  by  working  the  drills  two  feet  into  the  rock  ; they  were 
then  well  braced  together  and  secured  to  the  caisson  by  sets  of  rollers  and  shoes, 
the  two  sets  of  posts  being  placed  about  an  inch  nearer  together  at  the  top  than 
bottom,  to  secure  clearance  in  lowering  the  caisson.  Four  pairs  of  cross 
timbers,  attached  to  the  posts,  were  placed  above  the  caisson,  each  of  them 
carrying  two  suspension  screws  20  feet  long  and  two  inches  in  diameter, 
with  a thread  cut  from  end  to  end.  The  total  weight  of  the  caisson  being 
72  tons,  each  screw  was  required  to  carry  nine  tons.  On  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember every  thing  was  in  readiness,  the  caisson  had  been  attached  to  the 
screws  and  the  lowering  was  begun.  Three  men  at  each  screw  were  required 
to  handle  the  weight.  Ease  and  regularity  of  descent  were  secured  by 
admitting  water  above  the  false  bottom  ; when  one  half  of  the  caisson  had 
become  submerged  this  was  found  to  be  no  longer  necessary,  and  the  bottom 
was  set  free  by  striking  the  folding  wedges  which  held  the  braces,  and  taken 
out  in  parts.  On  the  11th  of  the  same  month  the  caisson  came  to  a bearing 
upon  the  sand,  and  the  screws  were  removed.  The  use  of  long  posts  secured  by 
drills  rendered  the  matter  of  false  works  exceedingly  simple  ; this  device,  which 


38 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


is  believed  to  have  been  entirely  novel,  is  admirably  adapted  to  use  in  places 
where  piles  cannot  be  driven,  and  posts  merely  braced  together  are  not  to  be 
trusted  ; it  is  effective,  can  be  put  in  rapidly,  and  may  be  used  where  the  rock 
is  overlaid  with  several  feet  of  sand,  the  posts  being  sunk  by  blowing  away  the 
sand  with  a stream  of  water  forced  through  the  central  hole. 

After  the  removal  of  the  screws  the  caisson  was  sunk  two  feet  farther  to 
the  rock  by  means  of  a water  jet.  directed  by  a diver  working  on  the  outside  ; 
a single  day  proving  sufficient  to  bring  it  to  its  permanent  bearing.  The  water 
jet  used  on  this,  as  well  as  on  subsequent  occasions,  consisted  of  a copper  or 
iron  nozzle  attached  to  a three-inch  flexible  hose,  and  sufficiently  loaded  to  be 
handled  with  ease  under  water  ; through  this  a stream  of  water  was  driven  by 
either  a centrifugal  or  reciprocating  pump,  the  former  being  used  on  the  founda- 
tions first  put  in,  but  the  latter  being  found  the  more  efficacious.  The  attempt 
to  fit  the  rock  by  shaping  the  bottom  of  the  caisson  proved  a failure,  and  a good 
joint  was  only  secured  by  means  of  the  sheet  piles  ; these  were  driven  by  a light 
ringing  engine,  and  by  bruising  against  the  rock  secured  an  accurate  fit.  The 
caisson  was  then  surrounded  on  the  outside  by  a double  row  of  gunny  bags  filled 
with  clay,  which  were  carefully  placed  by  the  diver  in  a trench  excavated  by 
him  with  the  water  jet.  These  bags  were  further  surrounded  with  hay,  which 
was  again  covered  with  a bank  of  clay,  protected  from  the  water  by  a canvas 
tarpaulin,  and  the  whole  covered  with  a layer  of  clay  and  stones. 

On  the  10th  of  October  these  preparations  against  leakage  had  been  com- 
pleted, and  the  work  of  pumping  out  the  caisson  was  begun.  The  joints  were 
found  to  be  admirably  tight,  a nine-inch  Alden  pump,  driven  by  a twelve-horse 
power  engine  lowering  the  water  five  feet  in  an  hour.  Additional  braces  were 
placed  within  the  caisson  as  the  water  was  lowered,  to  resist  the  increasing  out- 
side pressure.  The  small  amount  of  sand  and  mud  remaining  on  the  rock  was 
cleaned  off,  and  removed  in  boxes,  when  two  beautiful  springs  of  clear  water, 
contrasting  strongly  with  the  muddy  Missouri,  were  found  issuing  from  the 
fissures  in  the  rocks,  and  the  rough  and  jagged  surface  was  quarried  to  an  even 
bearing,  suitable  to  receive  the  masonry.  The  solid  character  of  the  rock  was 
also  proved  by  drilling  into  it. 

To  facilitate  handling  the  stone  a trestle  bridge  was  built,  extending  from 


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THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


39 


the  shore  to  the  south-west  corner  of  the  caisson,  and  on  this  were  laid  two 
tracks  of  wooden  railway.  A floating  derrick,  the  larger  of  the  two  used,  was 
anchored  on  the  south  side  of  the  caisson,  just  below  the  bridge  ; two  small  cars 
pushed  by  hand  brought  the  stones  within  the  range  of  this  derrick,  by  which 
they  were  placed  at  the  desired  spot  within  the  caisson.  The  first  stone  was  set 
on  the  16th  day  of  October  ; a belt  of  masonry  was  first  laid  around  the  caisson 
wall ; this  was  then  backed  up  and  the  masonry  above  built  up  in  regular 
courses  ; the  space  between  the  face  of  the  stone  and  the  planking  of  the 
caisson  was  filled  with  beton.  As  a precaution  against  the  accidents  which 
needless  delay  might  involve,  the  work,  during  the  first  week,  was  driven  both 
night  and  day.  The  leaks  were  soon  found  to  be  so  slight  that  the  use  of  the 
steam  pump  was  unnecessary,  and  after  the  first  few  courses  had  been  laid  the 
water  was  kept  down  by  two  common  log  pumps  worked  by  hand.  The  work 
upon  this  and  subsequent  piers  (with  the  exception  of  No.  4)  were  directed  by 
Mr.  W.  K.  McComas,  superintendent  of  foundations. 


PIER  No.  2. 

With  a view  to  avoiding  any  delays  which  might  arise  from  unforeseen  diffi- 
culties attending  work  in  the  main  channel,  where  the  dangers  of  accident  were 
thought  to  be  greatest,  as  well  as  to  secure  the  greatest  possible  time  for  raising 
the  draw,  the  preparations  for  the  building  of  this  pier  were  among  the  first 
taken  in  hand.  The  principal  difficulties  lay  in  securing  staging  to  work  from 
at  the  pier  site  ; piles  could  not  have  been  used,  as  the  rock  was  frequently 
swept  almost  bare  of  sand  ; anchored  posts,  such  as  had  been  used  at  Pier  No. 
1,  might  have  been  destroyed  at  any  moment  by  an  accidental  blow  from  a 
descending  steamboat ; while  long  and  wide  cribs,  such  as  have  been  used  on 
the  Mississippi,  would  have  been  unmanageable,  and  have  taken  up  too  much 
water-way  in  the  narrow  channel  of  the  Missouri.  Small  detached  cribs  and 
caissons  were  finally  used,  it  being  hoped  that  the  current  would  remove  most 
of  the  sand  from  beneath  them,  if  they  were  held  floating  in  position  while  a 
scour  took  place  below  ; much  difficulty  was  experienced  even  in  handling  these 
small  bodies,  and  the  scour  took  place  so  irregularly  that  some  of  the  intermediate 


40 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


cribs  were  finally  lost.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1867,  work  was  begun  upon  a 
timber  crib,  which  was  to  form  the  permanent  foundation  of  the  upper  draw 
rest,  and  serve  as  an  anchorage  and  water  deadener  while  putting  in  the  foun- 
dation of  the  pier.  This  crib  was  built  upon  the  sand  bar  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  and  launched  by  the  rising  water  of  the  April  flood  ; the  building  was 
continued  after  it  was  fairly  afloat,  and  it  was  poled  out  into  deeper  water,  from 
time  to  time,  to  prevent  grounding.  One  Sunday  morning,  while  this  work 
was  still  in  progress,  a steamboat  going  up  the  river,  in  hugging  the  shore  to 
avoid  the  strong  current  of  the  channel,  fouled  against  one  of  the  lines,  which 
breaking  released  the  crib.  The  yawl  crew,  who  were  watching  for  any  such 
accidents,  at  once  boarded  it,  and,  being  unable  to  make  fast  to  anything,  went 
down  the  river  with  it.  As  soon  as  the  crew  of  the  steamboat  could  be  collected 
and  steam  raised,  she  was  sent  in  pursuit,  but  having  lost  an  hour  in  the  start 
she  did  not  overtake  the  crib  till  it  had  drifted  22  miles  down  stream.  Two 
days  having  been  spent  in  a fruitless  attempt  to  tow  the  crib  against  the  cur- 
rent, it  was  taken  apart  and  the  timbers  brought  up  on  barges. 

The  caisson  in  which  the  pier  was  built,  was  built  in  the  summer  of  the 
same  year  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  in  front  of  the  Company’s  machine 
shop.  Its  form  was  that  of  a round  tub  18  feet  high  and  40  feet  in  diameter 
at  the  base,  the  sides  sloping  inwards  with  a batter  of  1 in  16.  It  was  made 
of  four-inch  oak  staves,  six  inches  wide,  bound  with  flat  iron  hoops,  and 
strengthened  by  timber  rings  on  the  inside.*  The  bed  rock  at  the  site  of  this 
pier  is  found  at  an  average  elevation  of  80,  with  a slope  towards  the  north  of 
nearly  three  feet  in  the  diameter  of  the  tub.  When  the  first  soundings  were 
taken  this  rock  was  found  overlaid  with  eight  feet  of  sand,  to  secure  an 
easy  penetration  through  which,  the  caisson  was  provided  with  an  iron 
cutting  edge,  formed  of  pieces  of  three-eighth  inch  boiler  plate  riveted  together 
and  fastened  to  cast-iron  brackets,  which  were  bolted  to  the  lower  set  of  internal 
rings.  These  plates  were  trimmed  off  so  as  to  make  a difference  of  18  inches 
in  the  heights  of  the  opposite  sides  of  the  caisson,  thus  partially  balancing  the 
slope  of  the  work.  The  tub  was  provided  with  a false  bottom,  built  in  radial 
sections,  suspended  at  the  centre  from  a light  truss  overhead,  secured  by  inclined 


* This  caisson  is  shown  on  Plate  III. 


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THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


41 


braces  and  folding  wedges.  Under  it  were  placed  three  shoes,  which  slid  on 
inclined  launching  ways,  provided  with  guides  for  their  whole  length. 

In  October,  the  crib  for  the  upper  draw  rest  was  rebuilt  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  river,  a third  of  a mile  above  the  bridge  ; it  measured  31  feet  wide,  73 
feet  long,  and  HU  feet  high  ; was  built  of  square  timber,  with  cross  walls  and 
bottom  of  round  timber  and  planked  on  the  outside  ; the  upper  end  was  formed 
like  that  of  the  piers  and  caissons,  and  the  lower  end  square,  though  shelving 
forwards — this  form  being  thought  favorable  to  a scour  beneath  ;*  additional 
buoyancy  was  secured  by  binding  a number  of  empty  coal  oil  barrels  inside  of  it. 
Early  in  November  an  attempt  was  made  to  launch  the  crib,  but  its  misfortunes 
were  not  yet  over,  the  ways  breaking  down  under  the  weight  and  leaving  it 
lying  on  one  side  at  the  edge  of  the  water ; nothing  could  be  done  towards 
raising  it  in  consequence  of  the  rapidity  of  the  current  in  front  of  it ; and  in  this 
position  it  remained  till  the  following  February.  On  the  9 th  of  January  the 
ice  jammed  at  the  bridge  site,  and  the  river  for  several  miles  became  closed  ; a 
channel  was  cut  in  the  ice  from  the  bank  where  the  crib  lay  to  its  permanent 
location  above  the  pivot  pier ; on  the  4th  of  February  it  was  raised  by  means 
of  hand  crabs,  and  successfully  floated  into  position  ; the  water  was  very  low, 
the  current  only  two  miles  an  hour,  and  the  crib  was  easily  held  by  lines 
attached  to  posts  on  the  shore  and  to  anchors  put  in  the  ice.  It  was  sunk  by 
putting  on  additional  courses  of  timber,  and  throwing  in  rubble  stone  ; the 
current  swept  the  sand,  about  10  feet  in  depth,  away  from  below,  and  allowed 
it  to  settle  firmly  upon  the  rock.  As  this  crib  had  to  be  placed  in  position 
before  the  other  works  connected  with  the  pivot  pier  could  proceed,  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  locating  it  accurately,  with  no  neighboring  anchorage,  were 
very  great,  and  the  misfortunes  of  the  launch  in  October  may  have  been  more 
than  compensated  by  the  advantages  which  the  ice  gave  for  handling  the  crib 
when  it  was  finally  placed.  On  the  17th  of  February  the  ice  gave  way  above 
the  bridge  and  went  out,  doing  no  further  damage  to  the  crib  than  to  loosen 
the  upper  course  of  timbers  and  fill  it  with  ice.  Before  the  close  of  the  low- 
water  season  the  more  exposed  parts  of  the  crib  were  filled  with  beton,  and 
additional  stone  was  thrown  into  the  central  divisions. 


* The  shape  of  this  crib  appears  on  the  plan  of  Draw  Protection,  Plate  VII. 

0 


42 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


The  delays  due  to  this  series  of  accidents  had  consumed  almost  the  whole 
low-water  season,  and  it  was  thought  unwise  to  proceed  with  so  exposed  a 
foundation  till  after  the  summer  flood.  In  the  following  September  the  water- 
deadener  caisson  was  raised  from  its  place  above  Pier  No.  1,  and  dropped  below 
the  site  of  Pier  No.  2,  where  it  forms  the  foundation  of  the  lower  draw  rest. 
The  floods  of  the  preceding  summer  had  filled  it  with  several  feet  of  mud,  which 
had  to  be  removed,  when  it  was  easily  raised  by  pumping  out  the  water.  No 
small  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  it  accurately  placed,  owing  to  the 
inconvenient  distance  of  the  anchorages,  and  frequent  interruptions  from  pass- 
ing steamboats  ; it  was  finally  secured  within  a few  inches  of  the  desired  spot, 
though  not  quite  parallel  with  the  line  of  the  piers,  an  irregularity  which  was 
taken  out  in  the  framing  of  the  upper  works.  An  additional  amount  of  stone 
was  thrown  in  and  an  unyielding  bearing  obtained  on  the  bed  rock,  which  was 
swept  clear  of  sand  by  the  current. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  1868,  the  round  caisson,  which  had  been  ready 
on  the  launching  ways  for  nearly  a year,  was  successfully  launched.  The 
bottom  and  caulking  proved  tight,  and  no  pumping  was  required  to  keep  it 
afloat.  An  additional  section  nine  feet  high  was  put  on,  built  of  oak  staves 
with  hoops  and  rings,  and  differing  from  the  lower  section  only  in  having  no 
bottom  ; * a wall  of  rubble  masonry  was  laid  between  the  rings  of  the  lower 
section  to  give  weight.  The  caisson  was  then  dropped  around  Pier  No.  1,  and 
swung  into  position  ; it  was  handled  entirely  by  lines,  made  fast  to  the  two 
draw  rests  and  adjoining  piers,  no  false  works  being  erected  at  the  pier  site. 
It  was  sunk  by  admitting  water  above  the  false  bottom,  and  in  two  hours 
settled  to  a bearing.  By  pumping  out,  and  readmitting  a portion  of  the  water, 
it  was  several  times  raised  and  lowered  a few  feet,  until,  on  the  11th  of  October, 
it  was  brought  into  its  final  position,  and  firmly  grounded  on  the  rock. 
Soundings  taken  a few  days  previously  had  shown  a deposit  of  from  two  to 
five  feet  of  sand  ; but  this  was  soon  swept  away  by  the  current,  when  the  iron 
edge  was  raised  a few  inches  above  its  surface.  Besides  the  hempen  cables 
used  to  handle  the  floating  tub,  a two-inch  wire  cable  was  made  fast  to  the 
upper  draw  rest,  and  attached  by  a bridle  to  the  tub,  being  made  two  feet  and 


* This  section  is  shown  with  the  first,  on  Plate  III. 


CjJ 


MOWING 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


43 


a half  short,  to  allow  for  any  rendering  under  a strain ; the  strength  of  the 
current,  which  was  but  slightly  deadened  by  the  upper  rest,  was  so  great  that 
this  allowance  proved  insufficient,  and  when  finally  placed,  though  almost 
exactly  in  position  on  the  bridge  line,  the  caisson  was  found  to  be  about  20 
inches  too  far  down  stream — an  error  which,  being  less  than  the  excess  of  the 
radius  of  the  caisson  over  that  of  the  pier,  was  of  no  consequence. 

The  caisson  was  now  surrounded  with  a row  of  gunny  bags  filled  with  clay 
and  packed  around  with  hay  ; the  current  was  too  strong  to  allow  a diver  to 
work  on  the  outside  except  on  rare  occasions,  and  the  bags  were  placed  by 
lowering  a number  of  them,  united  into  a string,  from  above  ; a joint  formed  in 
tins  way  must,  however,  be  very  imperfect,  and  it  was  but  little  relied  on.  An 
inspection  of  the  cutting  edge,  made  by  a diver  within  the  tub,  showed  that,  in 
consequence  of  the  irregularities  of  the  surface,  it  was  in  actual  contact  with  the 
rock  at  but  few  points,  while  in  some  places  the  distance  between  was  as  much 
as  10  inches  ; it  was  also  found  that  a cone  of  sand  was  left  inside  of  the  caisson 
three  or  four  feet  deep  at  the  centre,  and  which  was  constantly  increasing  from 
the  deposits  swept  under  the  iron  edge.  Holes  drilled  four  or  five  feet  into  the 
rock  showed  it  to  be  perfectly  substantial.  A circle  of  gunny  bags  filled  with 
freshly  mixed  beton  was  then  placed  by  the  diver  against  and  under  the 
inside  edge,  over  which  was  spread  a ring  of  beton  of  triangular  section  ; the 
beton  in  this  ring  was  lowered  in  boxes  from  above  and  placed  by  the  diver, 
who  first  carefully  jetted  away  the  sand  remaining  on  the  rock. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  after  waiting  two  weeks  for  the  beton  to  harden, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  pump  out  the  caisson.  The  joints  were  found  to  be 
perfectly  tight,  the  subsidence  of  the  water  being  nearly  equal  to  the  discharge 
of  the  pumps ; but  when  the  water  had  been  lowered  nine  feet,  the  outside  pres- 
sure broke  through  a fissure  in  the  rock  under  the  beton  and  forced  a leak 
which  exceeded  the  capacity  of  the  pump.  An  additional  amount  of  beton  was 
put  in,  increasing  the  section  of  the  ring,  and  the  crevice  in  the  rock  filled  up  as 
well  as  possible,  and  after  a short  delay  a second  attempt  at  pumping  was  made, 
but  with  no  better  results  than  the  first.  Not  wishing  to  lose  any  more  time, 
no  further  attempts  were  made  to  lay  bare  the  rock  ; after  pumping  out  the 
sand  in  the  middle  of  the  tub,  a beton  foundation  eight  feet  deep  was  put  in, 


44 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


covering  the  whole  circular  area.  This  was  in  accordance  with  the  original 
intentions  of  the  chief  engineer,  the  plan  of  starting  the  masonry  on  the  bed 
rock  having  been  an  after-thought,  and  regarded  throughout  as  an  experiment. 
If  precautions  of  the  same  kind  as  at  Pier  No.  1 could  have  been  taken,  this  plan 
would  probably  have  been  successful ; but  it  was  first  determined  to  make  the 
attempt  after  the  caisson  had  been  placed,  when  it  was  too  late  to  arrange  the 
sheet  piling  which  had  proved  so  effective  before.  In  the  haste,  also,  to  have 
this  foundation  completed,  an  insufficient  time  had  been  given  for  the  beton  to 
harden,  showing  the  danger  of  haste  in  work  of  this  kind. 

The  bulk  of  the  beton  in  this  foundation  was  laid  in  a box  designed  ex- 
pressly for  these  works.*  It  was  of  rectangular  form,  having  a capacity  of  half  a 
yard,  with  a bottom  formed  of  two  leaves  opening  outward  from  the  centre  and 
fitted  with  a cover  of  similar  construction.  On  either  side  two  chains,  one  fast- 
ened to  each  of  the  lower  leaves,  were  united  into  one  near  the  top  of  the  box, 
and  those  from  the  two  sides  were  brought  together  in  a ring  hung  upon  a trip- 
ping-hook, of  no  novel  form,  above  ; the  tripping-hook  was  permanently  attached 
to  a cross-head  by  a loose  chain.  When  the  box  had  been  filled  with  beton  the 
covers  were  closed,  and  it  was  lifted  by  a rope  attached  to  the  short  end  of  the 
tripping-hook  and  lowered  into  place  ; the  tripping-hook  was  then  raised  by  a 
hand-line  attached  to  the  long  end  till  the  ring  dropped  from  it ; on  drawing  up 
the  main  rope  the  box  was  lifted  by  the  loose  chain  attached  to  the  cross-head, 
the  leaves  opening  freely  and  discharging  the  beton.  The  advantages  of  this 
form  of  box  lie  in  the  protection  it  affords  from  washing  in  the  descent  and  dis- 
charge, and  the  ease  and  certainty  with  which  it  may  be  tripped  when  once 
lowered  upon  a bottom. 

On  the  24th  of  January  the  pump  was  started  and  the  water  in  the  caisson 
was  lowered  rapidly.  The  following  day  the  tub  was  pumped  out  and  the  beton 
laid  bare  ; it  was  found  in  general  to  have  set  satisfactorily,  though  not  perfectly 
homogeneous,  and  covered  with  several  inches  of  laitcmce  ; but  after  a few  hours 
the  water  came  in  again,  probably  working  its  way  through  fissures  in  the  rock 
and  voids  in  the  foundation.  Grout  was  poured  through  a funnel  into  the  holes 
through  which  the  water  had  come,  as  far  as  this  was  found  possible,  and  six 


* This  box  is  shown  on  Plate  VI. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


45 


additional  feet  of  be  ton,  making  in  all  14  feet,  put  in.  The  outside  of  the  caisson 
was  examined  by  a diver,  who  reported  that  the  bags  had  been  swept  away  from 
the  south  side,  leaving  an  aperture  under  the  edge,  which  was  closed  with  bags  of 
beton.  About  the  middle  of  February  the  tub  was  again  pumped  out ; the  leaks 
were  still  very  troublesome,  but  within  the  capacity  of  the  pumps  ; the  surface  of 
the  beton  was  levelled  off,  and  an  open  grillage,  composed  of  two  courses  of  flatted 
timbers  laid  transversely,  put  in  ; the  spaces  between  the  timbers  were  filled  with 
beton,  and  on  this  grillage  the  masonry  was  started  on  the  20th  of  February.  The 
rising  water  threatened  to  drown  out  the  works,  and  a third  section  nine  feet 
high  was  added  to  the  tub,  the  river  rising  above  its  base  for  one  or  two  days. 
This  section  was  similar  to  the  one  below,  but  built  of  pine  ; it  was  afterwards 
removed  and  made  into  a railroad  water  tank.  The  base  of  the  masonry  is  at 
an  elevation  of  95.57  ; the  first  course  of  stone  is  the  full  size  of  the  tub,  and 
from  this  the  courses  are  stepped  off  till  their  diameter  is  reduced  to  that  of  the 
pier.  The  floating  derrick  used  to  lay  the  masonry  was  fastened  on  the  north 
side  of  the  caisson,  and  the  pier  built  up  as  rapidly  as  possible. 


PIER  No.  3. 

Work  was  begun  on  this  foundation  on  the  29th  day  of  August,  1867.  The 
rock  was  found  at  an  elevation  of  67 — 30  feet  below  the  extreme  low-water 
mark— and  was  then  overlaid  with  22  feet  of  sand,  the  water  being  17  feet  deep. 
A compact  cluster  of  piles  was  first  driven,  150  feet  above  the  site  of  the  pier, 
to  serve  as  an  anchorage  during  the  subsequent  work  ; one  or  two  of  this  clumj? 
washed  out  before  the  driving  was  completed,  but  the  rest  were  secured  by 
immediate  riprapping,  and  have  remained  firm  for  more  than  two  years.  The 
pile-driving  boat  was  then  dropped  below,  hanging  to  the  anchor  piles,  and 
twelve  piles  driven  to  form  an  instrument  stand  for  use  in  locating  the  pier. 
But  it  was  found  very  difficult  to  make  a pile  stand  at  all  in  this  rapid  current ; 
the  rush  of  the  water  swayed  the  head  of  the  pile  back  and  forth  several  feet, 
washed  around  its  base,  and  dug  out  the  surrounding  sand  till  the  pile  popped 
up  and  floated  away.  One  pile  in  four  of  those  driven  was  lost  in  this  way  with 
almost  complete  regularity.  The  piles  were  accordingly  secured  with  some 


40 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


difficulty,  by  bracing  them  together  with  planks  ; they  were  then  cut  off  and  a 
platform  was  built  on  top  of  them.  The  platform  was  found  to  sway  five  or  six 
inches  with  the  current,  a motion  which  was  reduced  as  much  as  possible  by  ad- 
ditional bracing ; but  on  placing  a transit  upon  the  platform  it  was  still  found  to 
vibrate  more  than  an  inch,  and  therefore  to  be  wholly  unfit  for  its  intended  purpose. 
The  pier  was  accordingly  located  by  measuring  with  a steel  wire  from  Pier  No.  1. 

The  pile  driver  was  then  moved  to  the  pier  site,  and  the  piles  driven  for 
the  false  works  proper.*  The  first  of  these  piles  washed  out  almost  as  soon  as 
driven.  It  was  evident  that  piles  could  be  held  here  only  by  immediately  bra- 
cing them  together  ; for  this  purpose  a plank  was  bolted  on  the  side  of  the  pile 
by  a single  round  bolt  of  inch  iron,  at  such  a height  as  to  be  near  the  surface  of 
the  sand  when  driven  home  ; the  plank,  being  left  free  to  turn  on  the  bolt,  was 
kept  upright  by  lashing  it  to  the  side  of  the  pile  ; after  driving,  it  was  to  be 
swung  over  and  spiked  to  the  top  of  the  next  pile  below.  Several  piles  were 
tried  in  this  way,  but  they  all  broke  at  the  bolt  hole  under  the  concussion  of  the 
hammer.  An  arrangement  was  then  adopted  which  had  been  successfully  used 
at  the  bridge  over  the  Rhine,  at  Coblentz.  An  iron  ring,  to  lugs  on  the  side  of 
which  a long  iron  rod  was  fastened  by  a pin  joint,  was  dropped  over  the  head 
of  the  pile  when  driven,  and  the  rod  made  fast  to  the  top  of  the  pile  below  by 
means  of  a stirrup  ;j*  when  found  inconvenient  to  slip  the  ring  over  the  top,  it 
was  made  of  two  parts,  which  were  bolted  together  around  the  pile  ; in  spite  of 
this  precaution  one-fourth  of  the  piles  driven  were  lost.  The  distance  between 
the  inside  rows  of  piles  was  made  10  feet  greater  than  the  proposed  width  of 
caisson,  thus  leaving  five  feet  for  clearance  on  each  side — an  allowance  which 
proved  insufficient,  as  the  piles,  disturbed  by  the  current  and  bruised  against  the 
rock  in  the  driving,  were  sometimes  forced  considerably  out  of  place,  and  thereby 
interfered  with  the  caisson  in  its  descent.  The  difficulties  which  attended  this 
work  at  this  favorable  season  showed  that  it  would  have  been  impossible  if 
attempted  during  the  floods  of  the  previous  months. 

When  the  piles  had  been  driven  and  secured  in  this  manner  they  were  cut 
off  and  capped,  and  a floor  was  placed  over  the  whole.  Upon  this  floor  the  erec- 
tion of  the  caisson  was  begun  on  the  20th  of  October  ; it  was  made  similar  in 


* For  plan  of  these  works  see  Plate  III. 


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THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


47 


plan  and  shape  to  that  used  at  Pier  No.  1 ; but,  being  intended  to  penetrate 
through  a considerable  depth  of  sand,  it  was  provided  with  a boiler  plate  cutting 
edge  of  the  same  kind  as  that  used  on  the  round  tub,  and  the  sides  were  given 
a batter  of  1 in  16  ; it  was  thoroughly  caulked  and  furnished  with  a false  bottom. 
Four  timber  trusses  resting  upon  the  piles  were  placed  above  the  caisson,  trans- 
versely with  the  stream,  which  carried  the  eight  long  screws  already  used  at 
Pier  No.  1.*  On  the  12th  of  November  the  first  section  of  the  caisson  was 
lifted  from  the  floor  by  the  screws,  the  timbers  under  it  were  removed,  and  it 
was  lowered  within  a few  inches  of  the  water  ; a second  section  was  at  once 
built  upon  it.  On  the  25th  of  the  same  month  the  caisson  was  lowered  into  the 
water  till  almost  in  contact  with  the  sand,  being  held  against  the  current  by  a 
wire  cable  attached  to  the  anchor  piles  above.  The  false  bottom  helped,  as  at 
Pier  No.  1,  to  secure  ease  and  uniformity  in  the  descent ; it  was  also  expected 
to  increase  the  scour  immediately  below. 

The  current  rapidly  washed  out  the  sand  to  the  depth  of  15  feet  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  caisson,  but  only  disturbed  it  slightly  at  the  lower  end  ; the 
upper  end  was  therefore  kept  hanging  on  the  screws,  and  the  lower  end  let 
down  upon  the  sand.  The  false  bottom  was  struck  at  once,  and  another  section 
built  on  the  caisson  ; this  third  section  differed  from  the  two  below  in  being 
planked  horizontally  and  having  the  sides  plumb.  The  lower  end  was  then  sunk 
about  two  feet  into  the  sand  by  using  a water  jet  around  the  edge.  On  the  10th 
of  December  a six-inch  siphon  pump,  which  had  previously  been  in  use  at  Pier 
No.  4,  was  placed  in  the  caisson  and  worked  by  the  boilers  of  the  steamboat ; 
it  threw  enough  sand  to  sink  the  caisson  about  a foot  in  a day  at  the  first,  but 
this  rate  of  descent  slackened  to  about  six  inches  and  even  less,  when  the  upper 
end  reached  the  sand  and  the  edge  took  a bearing  all  around.  On  the  30th  of 
the  same  month  a small  dredge  and  a four-inch  Andrews  centrifugal  force-pump 
were  added  to  the  outfit  ; the  dredge  was  of  the  endless  chain  pattern,  mounted 
on  an  incline,  and  worked  by  four  men  with  two  cranks  ; it  had  a capacity  of 
about  50  cubic  yards  a day.  The  Andrews  pump  was  placed  inside  the  caisson 
and  driven  by  a steam-engine  on  a boat  swinging  below  the  works  ; though 
used  to  some  small  extent  as  a sand-pump,  it  was  chiefly  relied  upon  to  drive  a 


* Shown  on  Plate  III. 


48 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


water  jet,  by  which  the  sand  from  the  more  remote  parts  of  the  caisson  was  fed 
to  the  siphon  and  dredge.  To  give  additional  weight,  the  spaces  between  the 
timbers  of  the  upper  section  were  filled  with  rubble  masonry,  which  was  pro- 
tected from  injury  by  an  inside  sheathing  of  thin  boards.  In  order  to  diminish 
the  external  sand  friction,  a large  cast-iron  pipe  was  placed  around  the  caisson 
above  water,  from  which  a series  of  small  gas  pipes  extended  down  nearly  to  the 
cutting  edge,  thus  forming  a line  of  water  jets  encircling  the  caisson,  and  distri- 
buting the  discharge  of  a single  pump  around  the  whole  surface.  An  nine-inch 
Alden  pump  was  attached  to  this  set  of  pipes,  but  it  proved  unequal  to  the  task, 
and  only  half  of  the  pipes,  those  on  one  side  of  the  caisson,  were  ever  worked 
together  ; the  force  of  the  stream  so  widely  distributed  was  also  too  much 
reduced  for  effective  work,  and  it  was  generally  preferred  to  use  a single 
movable  jet,  which  could  be  taken  in  turn  to  every  part  of  the  caisson. 

The  changes  in  the  bottom  during  the  work  on  this  foundation  were  very 
frequent  and  singular,  sometimes  causing  no  small  trouble.  In  November  a 
scour  was  noticed  around  the  anchor  piles,  which  was  accompanied  by  a deposit 
at  the  pier  site  ; the  elevation  of  the  sand,  which  was  materially  lower  on  the 
first  of  that  month  than  it  had  been  when  pile-driving  was  begun  in  August,  was 
raised  11  feet  in  three  weeks.  On  the  2d  of  December  there  were  14  feet  of 
water  outside  of  the  caisson  at  the  upper  end,  and  22  feet  at  the  lower  end  ; one 
week  later  this  was  reversed,  when  the  water  was  found  to  be  24  feet  deep  at 
the  upper  end  and  only  12  at  the  lower.  Some  of  the  smaller  changes,  though 
less  embarrassing,  were  more  remarkable.  About  the  middle  of  December  the 
river  gouged  out  a hole  in  the  sand,  close  to  the  south-west  corner  of  the  caisson, 
extending  clear  to  the  rock,  which  was  examined  by  the  diver  ; the  sand  was 
soon  filled  up  to  the  ordinary  level.  A similar  hole  was  washed  out  about  a 
week  later,  and  some  pieces  of  floating  ice  were  sucked  under  the  edge  of  the 
caisson  and  came  up  inside. 

On  the  10th  of  January  the  descent  was  stopped  by  coming  in  contact  with 
a buried  log  ; this  was  cut  half  through  by  the  diver  with  a handsaw,  and  then, 
the  saw  binding  so  much  as  to  make  its  farther  use  impracticable,  a large  chisel 
was  mounted  with  a long  handle  so  as  to  be  worked  from  above,  and  the  cut 
finished  by  striking  repeated  blows  on  it  ; only  four  days  were  lost  by  this  ob- 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


49 


struction.  A fortnight  later  the  caisson  struck  upon  one  of  the  bearing  piles, 
which  was  pulled  up  from  the  outside,  the  platform  over  it  having  first  been 
sustained  by  trussing  across  between  the  two  adjoining  piles.  At  this  depth 
the  work  was  also  occasionally  impeded  by  sand  slides,  the  first  notice  of  which 
was  given  byr  a sudden  rise  of  the  water  inside  of  the  caisson,  a considerable 
quantity-  of  sand  from  the  exterior  slipping  through  under  the  cutting  edge 
and  forcing  the  water  before  it,  which  increased  the  amount  of  excavation  re- 
quired  and  engendered  a corresponding  delay. 

On  the  6th  of  January  very  cold  weather  had  set  in  ; three  days  later  the 
ice  had  jammed  at  the  bridge  line,  and  the  river  closed  for  the  season.  The  ice 
soon  became  so  strong  that  the  stones  used  in  the  masonry  at  Pier  No.  6 were 
taken  across  on  wagons.  To  guard  against  the  injury  which  might  result  from 
the  breaking  up  of  this  ice,  the  cluster  of  anchor  piles  was  made  into  an  ice- 
breaker by  surmounting  it  with  a small  triangular  crib  of  square  timber,  to 
which  was  fastened  the  upper  end  of  a single  inclined  stick,  the  lower  end  of 
which  rested  on  the  bottom  of  the  river  15  yards  above,  being  held  down  by 
another  small  crib  filled  with  stone  ; a row  of  spring  piles  was  also  driven,  extend- 
ing from  this  ice-breaker  to  the  instrument  stand.  A narrow  opening,  about 
two  feet  wide,  was  cut  in  the  ice  on  the  channel  side  of  these  protections,  extend- 
ing some  distance  above  them,  by  which  the  main  field  of  ice  was  separated  from 
that  nearer  the  shore  which  was  attached  to  the  piles.  It  was  hoped  that  the 
fields  of  ice  would  be  broken  into  small  cakes  by  the  inclined  timber,  and  that 
these  cakes  would  jam  against  the  spring  piles,  pack  to  the  bottom  of  the 
river,  and  thus  form  a gorge  above  the  pier  site  which  should  protect  the 
caisson  from  the  shocks  of  the  remaining  ice.  The  trusses  above  the  platform 
were  taken  down,  and  everything  not  absolutely  needed  was  removed  to  a place 
of  safety.  About  the  same  time  a fourth  section  was  added  to  the  caisson  ; it 
was  in  all  respects  similar  to  the  third  section,  the  walls  filled  with  rubble 
masonry,  and  it  made  the  total  height  of  caisson  about  forty  feet. 

On  the  12th  of  February,  the  upper  end  of  the  cutting  edge  came  to  a 
bearing  on  a point  in  the  rock.  The  day  previous  the  weather  had  become 
warm,  and  the  ice  began  to  rot ; on  the  17th,  at  about  noon,  it  broke  and 
moved  down  the  river.  The  water  was  very  low,  100.5,  the  current  less  than 

7 


50 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


three  miles  an  hour  and  much  of  the  ice  quite  soft,  but  it  moved  in  large  fields, 
and  but  for  the  preparations  made,  would  have  done  great  damage  ; it  broke 
off  and  carried  away  nearly  all  the  spring  piles,  completely  demolished  the 
instrument  stand,  and  tore  out  some  of  the  false-work  piles  on  the  south  side  of 
the  pier  ; but  the  gorge  hoped  for  was  formed,  and  the  caisson  left  uninjured. 

Dredging  and  pumping  were  resumed,  the  weight  upon  the  caisson  was 
increased  by  piling  heavy  stones  on  the  top,  and  a small  pile  driver  was  set  up 
upon  it,  with  which  short  blows  were  struck,  with  a view  to  loosening  the  sand 
pressure  by  the  jar.  By  the  25th  of  February  the  whole  upper  half  of  the 
cutting  edge  rested  on  the  rock,  and  six  days  later  the  desired  bearing  was 
reached  around  the  entire  caisson.  A week  was  spent  in  removing  the  sand 
inside,  when  a tight  joint  was  made  by  placing  bags  of  freshly  mixed  beton 
against  the  interior  edge  in  the  same  manner  as  was  afterwards  done  at  Pier 
No.  2.  The  rock  was  examined  by  drilling  in  it,  and  found  to  be  solid  and  firm. 
There  still  remained  a small  quantity  of  loose  sand,  which  was  only  removed  by 
constant  pumping,  with  the  frequent  attendance  of  a diver,  keeping  the  water 
level  constant  by  admitting  water  above. 

On  the  20th  of  March  the  rock  was  sufficiently  clean,  and  the  work  of 
laying  the  beton  foundation  was  begun.  The  beton  was  lowered  in  triangular 
boxes,  similar  to  those  used  on  the  Quincy  Railroad  bridge,  from  which  works 
the  pattern  of  box  was  taken.  The  work  was  suspended  on  the  20th  of  April, 
fifteen  feet  of  beton  having  been  laid  at  that  date.  One  week  later  the  pumps 
were  put  in,  and  the  water  lowered  ; but  as  the  caisson  showed  signs  of  yielding 
above  the  beton  under  the  water  pressure,  pumping  was  stopped,  and  seven 
feet  more  of  beton  put  in,  making  the  full  depth  of  the  foundation  twenty-two 
feet.  This  was  concluded  on  the  5th  of  May,  and  on  the  12th  the  caisson  was 
pumped  out  ; the  beton  used  in  this  pier  contained  a greater  proportion  of 
sand  than  was  used  elsewhere,  and  was  found  not  to  have  become  entirely  hard  ; 
the  surface  was  therefore  cleared  off,  and  an  open  grillage  built  upon  it,  the 
spaces  in  which  were  filled  with  beton,  and  which  was  secured  by  iron  straps  to 
the  sides  of  the  caisson.  On  this  the  masonry  was  started  at  an  elevation  of 
90.4,  the  first  stone  being  laid  on  the  20th  of  May.  The  pier  was  at  first  built 
up  only  to  an  elevation  of  108,  it  being  thought  best  to  give  the  beton  an  addi- 


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THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


51 


tioiial  time  to  harden  before  exposing  it  to  the  full  weight,  while  the  summer 
flood,  now  close  at  hand,  made  it  desirable  to  postpone  any  further  work  at  this 
site.  On  the  10th  of  August  the  work  was  resumed,  and  the  pier  rapidly  built 
up  to  completion. 


PIER  No.  4. 

Work  was  begun  upon  this  foundation  on  the  2d  of  September,  1867,  four 
days  later  than  at  Pier  No.  3.  The  water  was  then  twenty  feet  deep,  and  piles 
could  be  driven  only  with  great  difficulty  ; no  less  than  six  were  pulled  out  by 
the  current.  It  was  at  first  designed  to  scour  out  a deep  pit  by  the  use  of  wing 
dams,  but  before  the  plan  could  be  carried  into  effect,  the  current,  which  is 
more  variable  at  the  site  of  the  pier  than  at  any  other  point  on  the  line  of  the 
bridge,  slackened  to  almost  nothing,  making  wing  dams  wholly  imprac- 
ticable. A caisson  of  rectangular  form  was  then  built  in  position,  67  feet  long, 
30  feet  wide,  and  22  feet  high.  It  was  put  together  without  spikes  or  pins,  the 
planks  being  secured  between  cleets  on  the  sides  of  the  posts,  and  the  whole 
caisson  bound  together  by  iron  rods  passing  from  the  bottom  of  the  sill  to  the 
top  of  the  plate.  It  was  proposed  to  sink  this  caisson  about  twenty  feet,  drive  a 
pile  foundation  within  it,  cut  off  the  piles  at  the  level  of  the  base  of  the  caisson, 
build  the  pier  on  a suspended  grillage,  and  lower  it  upon  the  piles.  Then  upon 
unscrewing  the  nuts  and  withdrawing  the  long  rods,  the  caisson  would  fall  in 
pieces  and  a riprap  protection  could  be  thrown  close  around  the  pier. 

The  slackening  of  the  current  was  accompanied  by  a rapid  deposit  of  sand, 
and  before  the  caisson  could  be  completed  there  remained  but  eighteen  inches 
of  water  at  the  site  of  the  pier  ; in  eight  days  only,  from  the  18th  to  the  26th 
of  September,  a deposit  twelve  feet  deep  was  formed.  On  the  26th  of  October 
the  caisson  was  done,  when  it  was  tripped  to  the  bottom  by  striking  the  braces 
which  supported  it.  The  change  in  the  level  of  the  river  bed  made  a corre- 
sponding increase  in  the  distance  which  the  caisson  must  be  sunk  by  excavation. 
This  excavation  was  shortly  begun  by  means  of  the  steam  siphon  and  hand 
dredge,  and  continued  until  the  tools  were  transferred  to  Pier  No.  3,  the  caisson 
having  then  been  sunk  about  nine  feet.  During  the  winter  an  inner  wall  was 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


completed  within  it,  and  the  intermediate  space,  about  five  feet  wide,  was  filled 
with  stone  and  sand.  An  ice-breaker,  formed  of  an  inclined  sycamore  log  and 
a fender  of  planked  piles,  was  built  above  the  pier  site.  In  February  a large 
dredge,  with  a steam-engine  to  drive  it,  was  mounted  upon  the  caisson  ; it  was 
set  in  motion  on  the  13th  of  that  month,  and  lowered  the  caisson  a few  feet. 
The  rising  water  of  the  8th  of  March  produced  a moderate  scour,  which  aided 
the  sinking;  on  the  17th  the  scour  increased  very  rapidty  on  the  south  side, 
and  the  caisson  began  to  tilt  over  ; the  next  morning  the  water  was  found  to 
be  twenty-two  feet  deep  there,  while  no  corresponding  wash  had  occurred  on  the 
north  side.  Under  the  combination  of  this  undermining  of  the  southern  cutting 
edge,  and  the  pressure  of  the  sand  against  the  north  side,  the  caisson  settled 
over  till  only  the  north-east  corner  remained  above  water.  By  hard  work 
through  the  morning  and  dinner  hour  the  machinery  was  removed  and  placed 
on  boats.  By  2 p.  m.  the  whole  caisson  had  disappeared  ; the  weight  of  the 
sand  and  stone  with  which  the  walls  were  loaded,  together  with  the  external 
sand  pressure,  proved  too  great  for  so  loose  a structure  ; it  broke  in  settling, 
and  became  a total  wreck  ; a few  of  the  timbers  cleared  themselves,  and  floated 
down  stream,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  wreck,  being  of  green  oak  and  covered 
with  sand  and  stone,  remained  at  the  bottom  of  the  river. 

The  loss  of  this  caisson  put  an  end  to  the  work  which  had  thus  far  been 
done  on  this  foundation,  making  it  necessary  to  start  entirely  anew.  Moreover, 
the  circumstances  attending  the  wreck  showed  the  exposure  of  this  site  to  be  so 
great  that  it  was  thought  unwise  to  adhere  to  the  plan  of  a pile  foundation. 
The  situation  of  this  pier,  between  the  edge  of  the  sand  bar  and  the  low-water 
channel,  exposes  it  to  more  frequent  washes  and  deposits  than  have  been 
observed  elsewhere,  while  it  is  also  liable  to  be  subjected  to  the  thrust  of  a 
heavy  bank  of  sand  on  the  north  side,  with  no  counterbalancing  pressure  on  the 
south  side,  a danger  from  which  the  other  piers  are  free.  For  these  reasons  it 
was  determined  to  treat  this  as  a channel  foundation  in  preparing  the  new  plan, 
and  to  extend  the  full-sized  pier  down  to  the  rock.  To  avoid  the  difficulties  of 
passing  through  the  old  wreck,  which  would  have  made  it  necessary  to  resort 
to  the  use  of  compressed  air,  and  which  it  was  feared  would  have  delayed  the 
completion  of  the  bridge  through  another  season,  the  location  of  the  pier  was 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


53 


shifted  fifty  feet  to  the  south,  reversing  the  distances  between  it  and  the  two 
adjoining  piers,  and  placing  the  long  span,  250  feet,  between  Piers  Nos.  4 and  5. 

At  the  location  now  selected,  the  rock  was  assumed  to  be  at  an  elevation 
of  55  feet  and  to  be  overlaid,  during  the  best  working  season,  with  about  40  feet 
of  sand,  which  would  probably  make  it  necessary  to  do  some  portions  of  the 
work  in  50  feet  of  water.  Borings  taken  indicated  rock  at  58  or  59,  but  were 
not  wholly  satisfactory.  The  methods  by  which  the  other  deep  sand  foundations 
had  been  put  in,  though  successful,  had  been  very  slow,  and  were  likely  to  prove 
impracticable  when  the  depth  of  sand  became  doubled,  while,  even  if  a bottom- 
less caisson  could  be  sunk  to  the  depth  now  required,  the  season  between  two 
floods  would  be  found  too  short  to  complete  the  work  by  putting  in  a subaqueous 
foundation  of  beton,  30  or  40  feet  deep.  For  these  reasons  a plan  was  pre- 
pared resembling  in  many  respects  the  process  which  was  first  introduced  in 
founding  the  piers  of  the  bridge  over  the  Rhine  at  Kehl,  and  which  has  since 
been  very  generally  employed  by  European  engineers  ; in  all  previous  works, 
however,  the  excavation  has  been  made  by  laborers  working  in  a pneumatic 
chamber — machinery,  if  used  at  all,  serving  only  to  remove  the  material  which 
had  first  been  handled  by  the  men;  but  in  these  plans  the  machinery  was  so 
arranged  as  to  be  self-feeding,  and  the  excavation  was  carried  on  without  the 
use  of  compressed  air.  A pier  of  masonry  was  to  be  built  in  position  above 
water,  and  sunk  to  the  rock,  by  excavating  the  underlying  sand  with  dredges 
working  through  wells  left  in  the  masonry,  guiding  the  mass  in  its  descent  by 
suspension  screws,  and  keeping  the  top  of  the  masonry  above  the  surface  of  the 
water  by  building  on  the  successive  courses  as  the  sinking  continued. 

A caisson  was  designed  which  should  serve  as  a support  for  the  pier  in  its 
descent,  and  which,  while  of  such  form  as  should  furnish  the  best  facilities  for 
excavation  below,  should  bear,  without  yielding,  the  weight  of  40  feet  of  masonry 
above,  and  the  pressure  of  the  sand  and  water  against  its  sides.  The  construc- 
tion of  this  caisson  was  begun  on  the  25th  of  June,  1868,  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  river,  400  yards  below  the  bridge  line.  It  measured  70  feet  from  nose 
to  nose,  20  feet  6 inches  in  width,  and  1 1 feet  in  height.*  The  sides  were 


* The  plans  of  this  caisson  are  given  cn  Plate  V. 


54 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


built  of  square  timber  ; the  main  sills  were  of  oak,  15  inches  square,  of  one 
piece  from  shoulder  to  shoulder  ; the  seven  succeeding  courses  were  pine,  8 
inches  by  12,  placed  on  edge,  and  the  two  upper  timbers  were  oak,  12  inches 
square  ; a triangular  piece  of  oak  was  placed  below  the  main  sill.  The  succes- 
sive courses  were  pinned  together  with  two-inch  turned  pins  of  oak,  and  bolted 
to  uprights  placed  in  the  angles,  and  at  intermediate  distances  along  the  sides  ; 
the  outside  was  covered  with  two  courses  of  three-inch  oak  plank,  dressed  in  a 
planer  to  an  even  thickness,  the  planks  of  the  inner  course  making  an  angle  of 
45°  with  the  horizontal  timbers,  and  those  of  the  outer  course  being  put  on 
vertically,  with  the  smooth  side  outwards.  It  was  at  first  proposed  to  cover 
the  whole  with  thin  sheet  iron  to  reduce  the  friction  of  the  sand  upon  the  sides  ; 
but  experiments  made  to  ascertain  the  coefficients  of  friction  of  sand  against 
various  substances,  showed  so  slight  a difference  between  iron  and  dressed  oak, 
that  the  covering  was  not  put  on.  Within  this  outer  wall  was  placed  a second 
wall  inclined  inwards  ; it  was  framed  of  oak  timbers,  10  inches  square,  which 
rested  upon  the  main  sills  and  bore  against  a pair  of  12  inch  timbers,  placed 
parallel  with  the  upper  timbers  of  the  sides  ; this  inclined  wall  was  carried  round 
the  triangular  ends,  the  framing  being  modified  to  accommodate  the  angles. 
Three  braces,  15  inches  square,  were  placed  immediately  above  the  main  sills, 
extending  across  the  caisson  and  bearing  against  the  upright  timbers  ; these 
served  also  as  the  basis  of  three  \/-sliaped  cross-walls,  each  formed  of  two 
equally  inclined  rows  of  oak  sticks,  8 inches  square,  fitted  into  15  inch  timbers 
above  ; the  lower  angles  of  the  cross-walls  were  formed  by  triangular  pieces  of 
oak,  along  the  lower  edges  of  which  ran  three  iron  rods,  two  inches  in  diameter, 
which  passed  through  the  main  sills  and  tied  the  whole  caisson  together  ; each 
cross-wall  was  further  strengthened  by  a truss  built  into  the  middle  of  it.  The 
timbers  of  the  inclined  walls  were  thoroughly  stayed  by  iron  bolts  binding  them 
to  the  outer  walls,  and  the  cross-walls  were  strengthened  by  rods  connecting 
their  upper  timbers  ; the  interior  framing  of  the  starlings  was  secured  by  hang- 
ing it  from  a truss  placed  above,  and  the  top  of  the  caisson  was  tied  across,  by 
2-inch  rods  placed  at  the  shoulders,  and  by  dovetailing  the  15-inch  cross-timbers 
into  the  sides.  The  whole  interior  frame  was  sheathed  with  2-inch  oak  plank, 
but  the  spaces  between  the  double  walls  were  left  entirely  open  above.  The  cut- 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


ting  edges  of  both  main  and  cross-walls  were  protected  by  a covering  of  ^ inch 
boiler  plate,  the  plates  being  bent  and  cut  to  fit  the  angles  and  corners,  riveted 
together  and  fastened  on  with  wrought-iron  spikes. 

The  combination  of  the  V_shaPed  cross  walls,  with  the  inclined  walls  of  the 
sides,  divided  the  interior  of  the  caisson  into  four  bell-shaped  chambers,  the 
two  central  ones  being  nearly  square,  and  those  at  the  ends  of  pentagonal  form, 
each  having  a rectangular  opening  above  five  feet  and  four  inches  by  nine  and 
a half  feet.  This  form  is  one  at  once  well  suited  to  sustain  the  weight  of  super- 
posed masonry,  and  especially  adapted  to  facilitate  excavation.  The  caisson  is 
thoroughly  braced  by  the  interior  walls,  and  not  encumbered  with  exposed 
brace  timbers  ; the  walls  and  edges  are  of  such  form  as  to  act  as  wedges,  which, 
under  the  weight  of  masonry,  and  by  pressure  above,  feed  the  sand  towards  the 
centres  of  the  chambers  where  the  dredges  work  ; while,  as  the  cross-walls  were 
placed  thirty  inches  above  the  outer  edge,  a diver  could  have  free  access  from 
chamber  to  chamber,  should  this  be  found  necessary. 

Twenty-four  suspension  rods,  each  twenty-four  feet  long  and  two  inches 
and  a half  in  diameter,  with  the  upper  end  formed  into  an  eye,  were  built  into 
the  walls.  They  were  arranged  in  pairs,  and  passed  through  every  square 
timber  in  the  outer  walls,  taking  hold  with  nut  and  washer  on  the  under  side  of 
the  main  sills,  the  nut  fitting  into  a square  recess  cut  in  the  triangular  stick 
below.  Eighty  1^-inch  gas  pipes  were  also  placed  in  the  caisson, 
arranged  along  the  sides  and  cross-walls,  and  terminating  in  cast-iron  nozzles 
immediately  above  the  iron  plating  ; they  were  intended  for  water-jet  pipes, 
but  the  sand  fed  itself  so  well  to  the  dredges  that  none  of  them  except  those  in 
the  angles  were  ever  used.  The  whole  planking  was  thoroughly  caulked,  and 
the  interior  coated  with  roofing  pitch.  A frame,  provided  with  bolt  holes,  was 
carefully  fitted  into  the  rectangular  opening  above  each  chamber,  and  an  accu- 
rate pattern  taken,  from  which  a cover  could  be  made  to  fit  this  frame  ; so  that 
in  case  extraordinary  obstructions  were  encountered,  the  dredge  could  be  with- 
drawn, the  cover  or  trap  placed  in  the  frame,  and  bolted  tight  by  a diver, 
converting  the  chamber  into  an  air-tight  caisson,  when  the  obstructions  could 
be  removed  by  working  in  compressed  air. 

Under  other  circumstances  it  would  have  been  preferred  to  build  this  caisson 


56 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


entirely  of  iron  ; but  the  distance  from  adequate  iron  works,  and  the  absence  of 
boder -makers  and  competent  workmen,  were  unfavorable  to  doing  so  ; on  the 
other  hand,  timber  could  be  obtained  without  difficulty,  and  there  was  no  scar- 
city of  carpenters,  so  that  it  was  thought  best  to  build  of  wood,  which  involved 
much  complicated  detail  and  difficult  framing. 

The  caisson  was  provided  with  a false  bottom  placed  below  the  cutting 
edge,  over  which  it  fitted  like  the  cover  of  a paper  box,  braced  against  the 
cross-walls,  and  secured  by  iron  rods.  Five  launching  ways  were  placed  below, 
which  were  carried  out  into  deep  water  on  piles,  and  the  completed  caisson  was 
lowered  by  jack-screws  upon  five  flattened  timbers,  fitted  with  guides,  and 
arranged  to  slide  on  the  ways. 

The  first  work  done  in  the  river  was  to  drive  a compact  clump  of  anchor 
piles,  one  hundred  feet  above  the  proposed  pier  ; these  were  driven  and  pro- 
tected by  riprap  before  the  June  flood,  but  it  was  thought  unwise  to  drive  the 
false-work  piles  at  that  time,  because,  even  if  they  should  remain  undisturbed  by 
scour,  they  would  inevitably  collect  a large  amount  of  drift,  which  might  form 
an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  sinking  the  pier  scarcely  less  serious  than  the  wreck 
of  the  old  caisson.  On  the  9th  of  August  this  danger  was  past,  and  the  driving 
of  the  false-work  piles  was  begun.  They  were  sixty  in  number,  of  which  forty- 
eight,  two  to  each  end,  were  intended  to  carry  the  weight  taken  by  the  suspension 
screws,  the  other  twelve  serving  only  as  supports  for  the  false-works.*  The 
two  central  piles  on  the  lower  end  were  not  driven  till  after  the  caisson  had  been 
floated  into  place.  The  disturbances  of  the  river  made  the  driving  of  these 
piles  less  exact  than  it  should  have  been,  but  the  irregularities  were  not  too 
great  to  be  taken  out  in  the  platform  above  ; they  were  generally  driven  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  into  the  sand,  some  of  them  even  reaching  the  rock. 

The  piles  were  cut  off  as  soon  as  driven  at  an  elevation  of  106.5,  a platform 
was  built  upon  them,  and  the  trusses  were  raised  which  were  to  carry  the  sus- 
pension screws.  These  trusses  were  seven  in  number,  and  proportioned  to 
carry  a safe  load  of  1,000  tons.  Each  end  truss  carried  two  suspension  screws, 
and  each  of  the  intermediate  trusses  four,  the  screws  being  in  pairs,  and  placed 


* For  arrangement  of  piles,  see  Plate  V. 


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THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


57 


to  correspond  with  the  rods  in  the  caisson.  These  screws  were  twenty-four  feet 
long,  ten  of  them  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  other  fourteen,  which  had 
been  used  in  lowering  the  masonry  of  the  Quincy  Railroad  bridge,  two  and  a 
half  inches.  Ten  additional  screws  of  the  same  size  as  the  latter  were  kept  in 
reserve. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  October  the  caisson  was  successfully 
launched  and  towed  to  the  false-works.  Two  or  three  weeks  previously  a 
large  flat-boat  loaded  with  sand,  in  attempting  to  shoot  the  works,  had  struck 
against  one  of  the  upper  piles  and  sunk  ; the  wreck  had  caused  a sand  deposit 
at  the  pier  site,  so  that,  though  there  was  plenty  of  water  to  float  the  caisson, 
which  drew  only  three  feet  and  a half,  it  could  not  be  brought  under  the  trusses 
without  removing  the  suspension  rods  ; they  were,  accordingly,  unscrewed, 
taken  out,  and  the  caisson  brought  into  position,  when  they  were  replaced  and 
easily  screwed  into  the  nuts,  which  were  held  by  the  square  recesses  cut  in  the 
triangular  timber  below  the  sill.  This  was  accomplished  in  a day,  but  the 
want  of  deep  water  proved  a more  serious  obstacle  in  the  way  of  removing  the 
false  bottom.  It  had  first  been  proposed  to  sink  the  bottom  by  throwing  in 
sand,  water  being  already  admitted  above  it,  make  fast  to  it  with  the  steamboat, 
and  pull  it  out  below  ; the  depth  of  water  proving  insufficient  for  this,  it  had  to 
be  broken  in  pieces,  and  taken  out  in  small  parts,  an  operation  which  involved 
nearly  two  weeks’  delay,  and  which,  it  was  feared,  would  cause  trouble  by 
leaving  unremoved  fragments ; an  apprehension  which  fortunately  proved 
groundless.  A week  later  a sand  bar,  which  had  already  been  observed  forming 
in  front  of  the  launching  ways,  had  so  much  increased  that  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  launch  the  caisson,  so  that  a tedious  portage  by  land  was  narrowly 
escaped. 

On  the  11th  of  November,  the  work  was  begun  of  filling  the  spaces  between 
the  double  walls  of  the  caisson  with  beton,  while  the  false-works  were 
completed,  and  the  machinery  mounted  as  fast  as  could  well  be  done.*  The 
false-works  were  built  with  three  floors  ; the  lower  one,  intended  for  the 
use  of  carpenters  and  masons,  was  placed  at  an  elevation  of  108.7,  and  made  a 


Full  plans  of  these  works  and  machinery  are  given  on  Plates  IV.  and  V. 

8 


58 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


continuous  platform  extending  on  all  sides  of  the  caisson  ; it  was  generally  left 
open  on  all  sides,  but  a small  house  was  built  at  the  south-east  corner,  in  which 
a twenty-five  horse-power  engine  and  a donkey  pump  were  placed  ; a room  was 
also  enclosed  in  the  middle  of  the  south  side  for  the  use  of  the  divers,  where  the 
air-pump  and  submarine  apparatus  was  kept.  At  the  south-west  corner  a stair- 
case led  to  the  second  floor,  which  was  placed  on  a level  with  the  lower  chords 
of  the  trusses.  This  floor  extended  over  the  caisson,  having  four  holes  in  it 
through  which  the  dredges  worked  ; - it  was  completely  housed  in,  was  provided 
with  work  benches,  warmed  by  stoves,  and  contained  the  lamp-room  and  super- 
intendent’s office.  At  either  end  a staircase  led  to  the  third  floor,  a narrow 
platform,  resting  upon  the  upper  chords  of  the  trusses,  where  stood  the  four 
hand-crabs  used  in  handling  the  dredges. 

The  excavating  machinery  consisted  of  four  large  dredges  of  the  endless 
chain  pattern.  They  were  mounted  with  vertical  telescopic  frames  of  wood,  the 
lower  tumbler  being  attached  to  a single  frame,  inclosed  by  a double  frame 
which  carried  the  upper  tumbler  ; the  boxes  of  the  upper  tumbler  were  set  ou 
adjustable  blocks.*  By  this  arrangement  the  dredges  could  be  lengthened  to 
suit  the  depth  at  which  they  were  operating,  the  length  being  varied  from  51 
to  85  feet ; this  was  done  by  removing  the  bolts  which  united  the  two  frames, 
putting  in  an  additional  length  of  dredge  chain,  with  the  proper  number  of 
buckets,  and  raising  the  outer  frame  till  the  length  of  the  added  chain  was 
taken  up  ; the  bolts  were  then  replaced  and  such  slack  as  might  remain  in  the 
chain  taken  out  with  the  adjusting  screws.  The  entire  frames  were  raised  and 
lowered,  independently  of  this  change  in  their  length,  by  chains  which  passed 
through  sheaves  on  the  sides  of  the  double  frame,  and  were  worked  by  the  crabs 
on  the  upper  floor.  Two  of  these  dredges  had  originally  been  used  on  the 
Quincy  bridge  and  were  now  rebuilt  to  adapt  them  to  this  work  ; a third  was 
similar,  and  had  been  made  from  the  same  patterns,  though  designed  in  the 
first  instance  for  use  at  Kansas  City,  on  the  old  No.  4 foundation.  These  three 
dredges  had  square  tumblers  of  cast-iron  ; the  links  of  the  chains  measured  22 
inches  between  centres,  and  the  buckets  were  bolted  on  every  fourth  link 

* For  plans  and  details  of  dredges,  see  Plates  V.  and  VI.  Tlie  plan  on  Plate  V.  shows  the  frame  of  shorter 
length  than  that  actually  used. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


59 


through  holes  drilled  for  the  purpose.  The  other  dredge  was  constructed  espe- 
cially for  use  on  this  pier;  the  tumblers  were  of  hexagonal  form,  made  of  oak  and 
bound  with  wrought-iron ; the  chain  links  were  only  12  inches  long  between 
centres  formed  with  upset  ends  ; the  buckets,  whose  form  was  novel,  were 
placed  on  every  sixth  link  and  held  by  the  same  pins  by  which  the  links  were 
coupled,  an  arrangement  relieving  the  links  of  any  transverse  strain,  the  merit 
of  which  was  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  chain  of  this  dredge  never  broke  ; the 
hexagonal  tumbler  was  also  found  to  give  a steadier  motion  than  the  square 
ones.* 

A single  line  of  shafting  mounted  on  hangers  attached  to  the  trusses,  and 
driven  by  the  engine  on  the  floor  below,  extended  from  the  east  end  of  the 
house  till  opposite  the  western  dredge  ; on  this  shaft  were  placed  four  pulleys, 
each  arranged  with  clutch  and  lever,  by  which  it  could  be  thrown  out  of  gear 
independently  of  the  others,  and  the  power  was  carried  to  the  dredges  by  belts 
driven  by  these  pulleys.  The  new  dredge  was  mounted  at  the  west  end  of  the 
pier,  and  the  dredge  at  the  east  end  was  also  provided  with  buckets  of  the  new 
pattern.  These  two  dredges  were  worked  through  bevel  gearing,  the  power 
being  transmitted  at  any  elevation  by  a pinion  sliding  on  a vertical  shaft ; the 
other  two  were  driven  more  directly  by  the  belts,  which  were  kept  tight  under 
all  elevations  by  a loaded  tightener  sliding  in  a vertical  frame  ; the  latter 
arrangement  prove.d  the  better  one.  Each  dredge  was  completely  boxed  in 
between  the  second  and  third  floors,  to  confine  the  splash,  thus  keeping  the 
machinery  and  works  upon  the  second  floor  dry  and  in  good  working  order. 
The  dredges  discharged  towards  the  north,  the  sand  falling  on  inclined  troughs 
which  led  to  the  lower  platform,  from  which  it  was  carried  off  in  wheelbarrows, 
on  runways  built  for  the  purpose,  and  deposited  a hundred  feet  north  of  the 
works. 

The  machinery  for  handling  stone  was  on  the  lower  platform.  It  consisted 
of  a railway  and  cars,  the  same  which  had  been  used  at  Pier  No.  1,  running 
along  the  west  end  of  the  works,  and  two  travellers  running  lengthwise  with  the 
pier,  between  the  wells  and  the  sides  of  the  caisson.  A floating  derrick  was 

* A patent  for  the  improvements  in  these  dredges  was  issued  to  the  authors  of  this  work,  bearing  date 
January  18,  1870. 


60 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


moored  on  the  south  side  of  the  works,  by  which  the  stones  were  lifted  from  the 
stone  barges  and  placed  on  the  car ; the  car  was  then  pushed  under  one  of  the 
travellers,  the  stone  raised  by  a hand-crab  which  was  placed  at  the  east  end  of 
the  works  till  it  cleared  the  car,  and  drawn  forward  till  opposite  the  desired 
point  by  a steam  crab,  which  was  likewise  at  the  east  end  of  the  works,  and 
driven  by  the  same  engine  which  worked  the  dredges,  both  sets  of  machinery 
rarely  being  worked  together.  This  apparatus  was  not  mounted  till  the  beton 
in  the  two  lower  sections  of  the  caisson  had  all  been  put  in. 

Soon  after  the  caisson  was  brought  into  position  the  rectangular  openings 
into  the  lower  chambers  had  been  surmounted  by  timber  boxes  ; this  was  con- 
tinued from  time  to  time  as  the  sinking  progressed,  the  successive  sections  of 
these  well  walls  being  made  of  such  height  as  was  found  most  convenient.  When 
the  hollow  walls  of  the  caisson  had  been  filled  with  beton  a second  section  was 
built  above  it ; this  section  was  an  open  frame  structure,  covered  with  three- 
inch  oak  plank  dressed  in  a planer,  and  similar  to  the  caissons  used  at  Piers  1 
and  3 ; the  long  sides  were  given  a batter  of  one  in  sixteen,  but  the  short  sides 
of  the  starlings  were  built  plumb  ; additional  lengths  were  also  put  on  the  gas 
pipes.  This  section,  like  the  lower  one,  was  filled  with  beton,  about  one-half 
the  full  amount  being  put  in  before  starting  the  machinery.  The  beton  was 
mixed  upon  the  platform,  thrown  at  once  into  the  caisson,  and  beaten  down  with 
a paving  maul.  It  set  rapidly,  forming  a satisfactory  compound  ; the  caisson 
thus  became  merely  the  wooden  covering  of  a single  artificial  stone  or  monolith, 
of  the  form  most  convenient  for  the  work,  and  which  carried  the  masonry  of 
the  pier  above. 

On  the  11th  of  December  the  ice  closed  at  the  bridge  line,  and  the  river 
froze  across.  A week  later  the  ice,  which  was  still  thin,  began  to  rot  rapidly 
under  a strong  sun,  and  on  the  19th  it  broke  up  and  went  out.  No  serious 
damage  was  done,  but  a large  sheet  of  ice,  jamming  above  the  draw  rest,  forced 
inwards  the  ice  along  the  north  shore,  which,  swinging  on  a pivot,  about  the 
anchor  piles  above  the  works,  tore  out  two  piles  on  the  north-west  corner  of 
the  false-works  of  this  pier,  the  injury  being  done  at  one  of  those  points  where 
the  exposure  was  supposed  to  be  least.  The  damage  was  soon  repaired  ; one  of 
the  piles  had  only  been  bent  over,  and  was  drawn  back  into  place  ; the  other, 


October  12,  1868. 


THE  KANSAS  CITT  BRIDGE. 


61 


the  corner  pile,  was  destroyed,  but  the  platform  was  made  secure  by  bracing 
below. 

On  the  28th  of  December  the  machinery  was  started  ; a few  unimportant 
changes  were  found  desirable,  but  its  performance  was,  on  the  whole,  very 
satisfactory.  For  the  first  week  it  was  driven  only  b}7  day,  while  the  forces 
were  being  organized  and  drilled  to  their  work.  On  Monc' ay,  the  4tli  of  Janu- 
ary, two  gangs  were  put  on,  and  the  work  proceeded  both  night  and  day.  Each 
gang  had  a superintendent  at  its  head,  Mr.  Tomlinson  taking  the  day.  and  Mr. 
Bostwick  the  night  shift ; a master  of  machinery  had  general  charge  of  the 
four  dredges,  while  two  mechanics  were  assigned  to  the  care  of  each  dredge  ; 
an  engineman  and  fireman  tended  the  engine  on  the  lower  floor,  another  man 
was  given  special  charge  of  the  donkey  pump,  and  a spare  machinist  was 
employed  upon  odd  jobs ; a large  gang  of  laborers  completed  this  force  ; all 
the  laborers  worked  under  one  foreman,  and  the  majority  of  them  were 
employed  in  wheeling  off  the  sand,  but  twelve  men  were  detailed  to  work  the 
crabs  on  the  top  floor,  and  a few  more  to  tend  the  suspension  screws,  while  it 
occasionally  became  necessary  to  call  in  the  entire  force  for  the  latter  work. 
The  same  force  was,  of  course,  duplicated  for  the  second  shift ; each  gang 
worked  from  seven  to  seven  o’clock,  the  day  gang  being  allowed  an  hour  at 
noon  for  dinner,  and  the  night  gang  being  furnished  with  hot  coffee  at 
midnight. 

Eight  vertical  rods,  graduated  into  feet  and  tenths,  were  fastened  on  the 
sides  of  the  caisson,  one  at  each  end  and  shoulder,  and  one  in  the  middle  of  each 
long  side  ; they  served  as  gauges  to  measure  the  descent,  eight  blocks  placed  on 
the  platform  opposite  them,  at  an  elevation  of  109,  answering  as  reading 
fingers  ; the  gauge  at  the  west  nose  was  numbered  one,  that  at  the  south-west 
shoulder,  two,  and  so  on  continuously  around  the  pier.  The  dredges  were  also 
numbered  from  one  to  four — the  new  dredge  at  the  west  end  being  number  one. 
A full  journal  of  the  progress  of  the  sinking  was  kept  by  the  superintendent, 
from  which  a set  of  tables,  illustrating  the  behavior  of  the  pier  and  conditions 
of  the  sinking,  were  prepared.  These  tables,  which  give  the  best  illustration  of 
the  actual  working  of  the  plan,  are  printed  in  Appendix  E.;  they  contain  a 
statement  of  : 1st.  The  number  of  hours’  work  performed  by  each  dredge,  with 


G2 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


the  estimated  daily  excavation.  2d.  The  readings  of  the  gauges,  daily  progress, 
and  average  elevation  of  the  cutting  edge.  3d.  The  soundings  opposite  each 
gauge,  and  average  elevation  of  the  sand  surrounding  the  pier.  4th.  The  dis- 
placement and  the  actual  and  effective  weights  of  the  pier.  5th.  The  area  of 
the  surface  in  contact  with  the  sand,  and  the  effective  weight  for  each  square 
foot  of  such  surface  in  contact,  with  estimated  friction. 

The  material  dredged  was  at  first  a soft  sticky  silt,  which  could  be  handled 
only  in  connection  with  a large  amount  of  water  in  the  form  of  a thin,  flowing 
mud.  The  work  was  conducted  very  carefully,  the  gauges  were  constantly 
watched,  and  the  screws  were  tended  continually  ; with  these  precautions  little 
difficulty  was  experienced  in  keeping  the  pier  true  ; after  it  had  been  sunk  ten 
or  twelve  feet  the  surrounding  sand  answered  as  a guide,  and  less  care  was 
required  to  regulate  the  descent.  Owing  to  the  weight  of  the  pier  and  the  care 
with  which  the  machinery  had  been  arranged,  the  sinking  proceeded  at  a very 
much  more  rapid  rate  than  had  yet  been  accomplished  with  the  bottomless 
caissons,  and  exceeded  the  expectations  of  the  engineers.  On  the  6th  of  Jan- 
uary, only  two  days  after  both  shifts  of  men  had  been  put  on,  the  work  had  to 
be  suspended,  because  the  beton  could  not  be  put  in  fast  enough  to  keep  pace 
with  the  descent,  and  from  this  time  forward  the  chief  difficulty  lay  in  building 
up  the  pier  rather  than  in  sinking  it.  The  water  jets  were  found  to  be  of  less 
service  than  had  been  anticipated,  the  wedge-shaped  edges  feeding  the  sand  to 
the  dredges  without  their  assistance  ; streams  of  water  were  occasionally  passed 
through  the  pipes  at  the  nose  and  shoulders,  and  all  the  outside  pipes  were 
lengthened  as  the  height  of  the  caisson  was  increased,  but  those  in  the  cross- 
walls were  allowed  to  be  buried  up  in  the  beton. 

On  the  7th  the  machinery  had  to  be  stopped  again,  and  it  remained  idle 
nearly  a week  ; on  the  8th  the  beton  was  nearly  all  in,  reaching  to  the  top  of 
the  second  section.  A third  section  had  meanwhile  been  added,  twelve  feet 
high,  the  end  walls  of  which  were  at  first  made  only  one-half  this  height,  to 
facilitate  handling  the  stone.  On  the  9th  the  river  rose  about  a foot,  causing  a 
strong  current  on  the  south  side  of  the  works,  which  was  found  to  have  increased 
the  depth  of  water  from  nine  to  seventeen  feet,  so  that  the  pier  began  to  settle 
over  slightly,  till  held  by  the  suspension  screws  ; one  hundred  and  fifty  gunny 


' 


KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE  • 
False -Works  Pier  N°  4 March  22nd  1869 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


G3 


bags  were  filled  with  sand  and  thrown  overboard  among  the  piles  and  along  the 
side  of  the  caisson,  which  suspended  the  scour. 

On  the  13th  the  masons  began  work,  laying  the  first  course  of  stones  on 
the  hardened  surface  of  the  beton  ; in  the  evening  of  the  same  day  the  dredges 
were  again  set  in  motion,  and  the  work  of  sinking  resumed.  The  following  day 
the  river  began  to  rise  again,  repeating  the  scour  of  the  preceding  week  ; the 
wash  was  again  restrained  by  the  use  of  sand  bags,  over  five  hundred  of  which 
were  thrown  around  the  works  on  this  and  the  two  succeeding  days.  This 
method  of  protection  was  found  effective,  while  it  was  free  from  the  objections 
which  prevented  the  use  of  riprap  ; if  stones  had  been  thrown  around  the  pier 
it  was  feared  that  they  might  work  under  the  edge  of  the  caisson  and  obstruct 
the  descent ; the  sand  bags  might  also  work  under  the  edge,  but  their  soft  and 
yielding  nature  would  prevent  their  doing  harm  ; some  of  them  did  actually  find 
their  way  inside  of  the  caisson,  and  one  was  brought  up  in  a dredge  bucket 
uninjured. 

It  being  found  impossible  to  lay  masonry  as  fast  as  the  dredges  could  sink 
the  caisson,  the  plan  was  adopted  of  running  the  machinery  only  by  night,  and 
giving  the  masons  every  convenience  for  work  by  day.  Mr.  Tomlinson  then 
took  charge  of  the  night  shift,  and  the  pier  was  sunk  for  the  remaining  distance 
under  his  directions.  The  masons  were  often  unable  to  do  more  than  set  the 
face  stones  of  a course,  together  with  a few  of  the  heavier  pieces  of  backing,  in  a 
day,  in  which  case  the  night  force  would  be  employed  during  the  first  hours  of 
their  shift  in  backing  up  with  beton.  The  material  excavated  had  changed  to  a 
coarse  sand  which  was  easily  handled,  each  dredge  throwing  six  full  buckets  in 
a minute  ; the  pier  also  settled  more  rapidly  than  hitherto,  sinking  five  inches  in 
an  hour  when  everything  was  working  well.  The  lower  platform  and  the  second 
floor  were  lighted  by  locomotive  head-lights,  which  threw  a strong  glare  over  the 
works  and  men,  and  a visit  to  the  pier  late  in  the  evening,  when  the  machinery 
was  all  working  to  its  best  advantage,  and  half  an  hour  showed  a decided  settle- 
ment, became  a very  interesting  thing. 

On  the  19th,  a pile  top  was  found  buried  in  the  sand  below  dredge  No.  2, 
which  was  secured  by  a diver  and  drawn  out  with  little  trouble.  The  next  day 
some  timber,  supposed  at  first  to  be  the  branches  of  a large  snag  or  tree,  was 


04 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


discovered  under  the  lower  end  of  the  caisson.  An  additional  diver  was  sent 
for,  and  after  a few  days’  delay  the  log  was  cut  through  and  drawn  out,  when  it 
was  found  to  be  a broken  pile,  probably  belonging  to  the  works  of  the  wrecked 
foundation.  Another  old  pile  was  found  near  it,  which  extended  from  outside 
of  the  caisson  nearly  to  the  centre  of  the  eastern  chamber,  passing  under  the 
cutting  edge  ; a line  was  made  fast  to  it  and  attached  through  a set  of  falls  to 
the  upper  false- works,  and  held  in  this  manner  while  the  sinking  proceeded  ; on 
the  1st  of  February,  this  pile  broke  off  under  the  cutting  edge  and  was  drawn 
up  through  the  well  hole  ; it  proved  to  be  a stout  hickory  stick,  nearly  a foot  in 
diameter,  and  showed  a rough  broom-like  fracture  ; it  had  been  carried  down 
with  the  caisson  several  feet  before  breaking,  and  the  outside  portion  still 
remained  under  the  edge,  where  it  was  found  by  a diver  when  the  caisson  had 
nearly  reached  the  rock.  While  the  divers  were  at  work  upon  these  sticks,  it 
became  necessary  to  jet  away  the  sand  around  them,  thus  forming  a cavity 
close  to  the  edge  of  the  caisson  ; in  two  or  three  instances  this  caused  sand  slides, 
the  sand  suddenly  caving  in,  filling  up  the  cavity  and  raising  the  water  in  the 
wells  ; at  one  time  the  water  in  the  wells  was  raised  three  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  river,  when  the  soundings  showed  a hole  ten  feet  deep  outside  the 
caisson,  over  the  point  where  the  slide  occurred  ; this,  however,  was  soon  filled 
up  by  caving  in  and  by  fresh  deposits. 

On  the  3d  of  February,  the  masonry  was  finished  to  the  top  of  the  sill  of  the 
fourth  section,  which  had  now  been  added,  or  thirty-nine  feet  above  the  cutting 
edge  ; as  this  was  less  than  two  feet  below  the  point  at  which  the  ice-breaker 
courses  were  to  be  started,  it  was  thought  best  to  lay  no  more  masonry  till  a 
permanent  bearing  had  been  reached  upon  the  rock.  Borings  recently  taken 
had  found  the  rock  at  an  elevation  of  56.6,  though  the  auger  had  apparently 
been  disturbed  by  loose  stones  three  or  four  feet  before  it  reached  that  depth. 
In  the  evening  of  the  4th  the  pier  settled  rapidly ; the  machinery  had  never 
worked  better,  and  six  inches  descent  was  noticed  in  an  hour  ; but  at  mid-night 
it  came  against  some  hard  substance  and  almost  stopped.  The  diver  at  first 
reported  rock,  but  the  pier  went  down  nine  inches  during  the  next  three  days, 
and  though  the  dredges  threw  out  a large  number  of  loose  stones,  the  obstruc- 
tion was  found  to  be  a mass  of  clay  under  the  south  edge  ; the  upper  section 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


65 


was  filled  with  sand,  and  under  the  pressure  of  this  additional  weight,  seventeen 
inches  more  descent  was  obtained.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  the  bed  rock 
was  covered  with  about  three  feet  of  loose  stones  mixed  with  a moderate  quantity 
of  stiff  blue  clay  ; the  foundation  would  probably  have  been  perfectly  safe  if  kept 
where  it  was,  but  it  was  still  thought  best  to  place  it  directly  upon  the  rock. 

An  additional  number  of  divers  were  engaged,  and  on  the  16th  of  February, 
a force  of  eight  divers  with  four  air-pumps  and  the  proper  complement  of 
tenders,  was  ready  for  the  work  ; they  were  divided  into  two  gangs,  and  the 
work  was  prosecuted  both  night  and  day,  one  man  working  in  each  chamber. 
The  depth  of  water  in  the  wells  was  about  fifty  feet,  and  to  render  the  work  less 
burdensome,  the  water  was  warmed  by  sending  steam  down  the  water  jet  pipes. 
The  stones  were  removed  singly  from  under  the  edge,  piled  up  in  the  centre  of 
the  walls,  and  placed  in  the  dredge  buckets  ; the  dredges  were  worked  for  a 
short  time  after  the  divers  had  come  up,  bringing  up  the  smaller  stones  ; the 
largest  rocks  were  left  below.  The  stones  were  of  all  sizes,  from  small  pebbles 
to  boulders  containing  two  or  three  cubic  feet ; the  larger  ones  were  mostly  of 
limestone,  and  showed  few  or  no  signs  of  wear  ; the  smaller  pebbles  were  well 
rounded,  and  of  diverse  geological  character,  presenting  a strange  collection  of 
the  different  formations  found  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  ; 
sandstone,  granite,  moss  agates,  and  many  other  minerals  were  mixed  in  wild 
confusion,  while  bits  of  water-charred  wood,  reduced  almost  to  pure  coal,  and 
several  varieties  of  teeth,  were  found  among  them  ; an  Indian  arrow  head  was 
also  picked  out  of  the  lot. 

On  the  10th  of  March  the  rock  was  reached,  at  the  elevation  of  56.6.  A 
hole  was  drilled  into  it  five  feet,  as  had  been  done  at  the  three  other  channel 
foundations,  and  no  sign  of  any  flaw  or  weakness  discovered.  A row  of  bags, 
filled  with  freshly  mixed  beton,  was  placed  around  the  edge,  as  had  been  already 
done  at  two  of  the  other  foundations,  and  the  dredges  were  removed  and  the 
wells  filled  up  with  beton,  laid  under  water,  with  the  same  boxes  that  had 
previously  been  used  at  Pier  No.  2.  Divers  were  still  employed,  to  make  sure 
that  the  beton  filled  up  the  whole  space  of  the  lower  chambers,  packing  well  in 
towards  the  edges,  and  covering  the  boulders  which  had  been  left  piled  in  the 
centre  ; the  sand  was  thrown  out  from  above  the  masonry,  and  the  upper  sec- 

9 


66 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


tions  of  the  well  walls  were  torn  away,  to  secure  a good  bond  between  the 
masonry  and  the  filling  of  beton. 

The  layer  of  boulders  had  been  the  cause  of  considerable  delay,  while  it 
had  also  been  productive  of  some  additional  expense  ; but  the  character  of  the 
larger  stones,  which,  by  their  roughness,  showed  that  they  were  seldom,  if  ever, 
disturbed  by  the  water,  indicated  the  perfect  security  of  a foundation  put  in  at 
this  depth  ; and  the  mere  presence  of  such  material  was  equivalent  to  three  feet 
of  riprap  protection  around  the  base  of  the  pier. 

The  false- works  were  stripped,  the  trusses  taken  down,  and  on  the  26th  of 
March  nothing  remained  above  the  lower  platform.  A fifth  section  was  added 
to  the  caisson  as  a security  against  any  rise  in  the  river  ; a derrick  was  mounted 
on  the  platform  on  the  north  side  of  the  pier  ; on  the  2d  day  of  April  the 
laying  of  masonry  was  resumed  and  the  pier  was  built  up  at  once. 

This  foundation,  which  from  its  situation  might  fairly  be  regarded  as  much 
the  most  difficult  on  the  work,  became,  in  its  final  execution,  the  most  success- 
ful of  all,  and  was  put  down  in  a less  time  than  was  consumed  on  any  other 
deep  foundation.  The  plan  here  adopted  is  believed  to  admit  of  wide  applica- 
tion ; and,  while  it  is  more  expensive  than  the  simple  foundations  which  are 
used  in  ordinary  streams,  it  becomes  a cheap  method  of  founding  in  deep  and 
unstable  bottoms.  By  slight  modifications  it  can  be  combined  with  the  pneu- 
matic process,  in  such  a way  as  to  allow  extraordinary  obstacles  to  be  removed 
by  men,  while  the  entire  sand  excavation  is  made  by  machinery.  It  is  also 
applicable  to  foundations  of  extraordinary  depth,  where  the  pneumatic  process 
must  fail  from  the  inability  of  the  men  to  stand  the  air  pressure  ; it  could  be 
carried  to  a depth  double  that  to  which  pneumatic  tubes  or  caissons  have  been 
sunk,  with  the  occasional  use  of  the  air  chamber  for  a very  short  time  ; and  if 
this  be  entirely  dispensed  with,  it  may  even  be  extended  to  a depth  of  several 
hundred  feet  in  clean  sand,  or  with  machinery  sufficiently  heavy  to  remove 
obstacles.* 


* A patent  for  this  method  of  founding  has  been  applied  for  by  the  authors  of  this  volume. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


67 


PIER  No.  5. 

Although  the  loss  of  the  first  caisson  made  Pier  No.  4 practically  the  last 
foundation  begun,  No.  5 was  the  pier  on  which  the  original  work  was  latest 
taken  in  hand.  The  erection  of  the  caisson  was  begun  on  the  20th  of  January, 
1868  ; it  was  built  in  position  on  a dry  sand  bar,  and  in  general  form  and  con- 
struction it  was  similar  to  the  caissons  used  for  Piers  1 and  3 ; the  upper  end 
was  built  entirely  of  square  timber,  the  cutting  edge  was  made  by  cutting  off 
the  vertical  planking  with  a bevel,  and  the  spaces  between  the  timbers  were 
filled  with  rubble  masonry.  A cluster  of  anchor  piles  was  driven  fifty  feet  from 
the  upper  nose,  and  the  false-works,  with  their  supporting  piles,  were  placed 
inside  of  the  caisson.  The  object  of  this  device  was  to  arrange  the  works  in  that 
form  best  adapted  to  withstand  the  washing  of  the  spring  floods,  but  the  site  of 
the  pier  proved  to  be  beyond  the  range  of  the  scour  and  the  precaution  a need- 
less one.  The  lower  section  of  the  caisson  was  finished  on  the  13th  of  Febru- 
ary ; it  was  attached  to  12  long  screws,  eight  of  which  had  been  previously 
used  at  Piers  1 and  3,  raised  from  the  blocking  it  was  built  upon,  and  lowered 
to  the  ground.* 

After  the  wreck  of  the  old  caisson  at  Pier  No.  4,  the  machinery  which  had 
been  in  use  there  was  set  up  at  No.  5,  and  dredging  was  begun  on  the  26th 
day  of  March.  The  small  dredge  used  at  Pier  No.  3,  and  a second  large  dredge 
which  had  been  used  on  the  Quincy  bridge,  were  shortly  added  to  this  equip- 
ment ; the  three  dredges  were  mounted  above  the  caisson,  the  small  dredge 
being  placed  in  the  middle,  and  one  of  the  large  ones  at  each  end,  all  discharg- 
ing towards  the  south  ; they  were  driven  by  a single  25-horse  power  engine, 
the  one  subsequently  used  to  drive  the  whole  machinery  at  Pier  No.  4,  which 
stood  on  a platform  built  on  piles  directly  north  of  the  caisson.  The  sinking 
went  on  very  slowly  ; the  sand  did  not  flow  readily  to  the  dredges,  and  the 
amount  of  excavation  was  greatly  in  excess  of  the  displacement  of  the  caisson. 
The  dredges  often  dug  out  holes,  working  down  8 or  10  feet  below  the  base  of  the 


* For  plan  of  this  caisson  see  Plate  VI. 


68 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


caisson,  while  the  material  under  the  edge  was  but  slightly  disturbed  ; the  sand 
round  these  holes  would  then  fall  in,  bringing  with  it  considerable  quantities  of 
sand  from  the  outside  ; but  the  slides  seldom  extended  far  enough  along  the  edge 
to  cause  any  material  settlement  in  the  caisson.  A water  jet,  attached  to  a long 
piece  of  gas  pipe,  and  handled  with  lines  from  above,  was  passed  around  the  edge 
of  the  caisson  on  the  inside,  which  helped  greatly  to  clear  away  any  interior  sand 
bearing,  to  level  off  the  material,  feed  the  dredges,  and  let  the  caisson  down  ; 
the  dredges  were  usually  run  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  excavating  a 
moderate  quantity  of  silt  and  sand,  but  causing  no  perceptible  descent  ; they 
were  then  stopped,  and  the  pumps  started,  when  an  hour  or  two  of  jetting  would 
be  accompanied  by  a few  inches  settlement.  The  material  excavated  was  at 
first  a fine  silt;  but  as  the  depth  increased  it  changed  to  a coarse  sand,  in  which 
were  found  occasional  masses  of  clay,  and  a few  stones.  In  one  instance  the 
caisson  reached  what  appeared  to  be  a thin  continuous  layer  of  clay,  which  the 
dredges  worked  through  without  producing  any  general  effect,  and  which  had 
to  be  cut  in  pieces  with  chisels  from  above. 

On  the  27th  of  April  a second  section  was  added  to  the  caisson,  which  was 
loaded  with  a wall  of  rubble  masonry,  between  the  timbers,  like  the  first  section. 
On  the  5th  of  May  the  machinery  was  stopped,  the  dredges  rearranged  by 
transferring  their  support  to  the  top  of  the  second  section,  and  started  again  on 
the  14th.  To  secure  additional  weight,  a box  five  feet  by  four  was  built  around 
the  caisson,  supported  by  brackets  on  the  outside  and  filled  with  sand.  On  the 
5th  of  July  a third  section  was  added,  and  the  sand  boxes  were  raised  to  prevent 
their  taking  a bearing  on  the  outside  sand.  About  this  time  the  summer  flood 
covered  the  sand  bar,  so  that  these  works  could  only  be  reached  in  boats.  The 
level  of  the  bar,  between  this  pier  and  No.  7,  was  raised  by  a fresh  deposit  of 
two  or  three  feet  of  silt,  and  its  general  line  was  extended  about  twenty  yards 
towards  the  south,  carrying  it  beyond  the  site  of  No.  5,  but  no  material  changes 
occurred  immediately  around  the  caisson  ; the  current  caused  by  the  obstruc- 
tions of  the  work,  and  the  frequent  sand-slides  about  it,  prevented  the  accumula- 
tion of  any  deposit,  leaving  the  works  in  a little  bay  by  themselves,  and  the 
operations  were  not  in  the  least  disturbed  by  the  high  water. 

On  the  15th  of  August  the  base  of  the  caisson  reached  an  elevation  of  80, 


* 


% 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


69 


30  feet  below  the  level  of  the  adjacent  sand  bar  ; the  character  of  the  material 
in  which  the  dredges  were  working,  it  being  more  of  the  nature  of  a gravel  than 
of  a fine  silt  or  sand,  showed  that  scour  rarely  reached  below  this  depth,  and 
that  it  could  be  confined  to  a higher  level  by  the  moderate  use  of  riprap.  For 
these  reasons  it  was  determined  to  stop  the  excavation  here  ; the  machinery 
was  removed,  the  upper  section  taken  off,  and  two  pile-drivers  were  mounted 
on  a timber  scaffolding  above  the  caisson  ; a steam-engine  on  the  shore  supplied 
the  driving  power,  and  on  the  10th  of  September  pile-driving  was  begun. 

The  piles  were  provided  with  cast-iron  shoes  ; each  shoe  was  cast  hollow, 
with  a round  hole  at  the  point,  and  fastened  to  the  pile  by  four  wrought-iron 
straps  moulded  into  the  casting  ; a groove  was  cut  with  a broad  axe  in  the  side 
of  the  pile,  and  in  it  was  placed  a gas-pipe,  the  lower  end  of  which  terminated  in 
a hole  in  the  head  of  the  shoe  ; the  gas-pipe  was  connected  with  a donkey 
pump  by  a flexible  hose.*  The  pile,  with  its  attachments,  was  placed  in  the 
leaders  of  a common  pile-driver,  and  the  pump  started,  which  forced  a stream 
of  water  directly  out  of  the  point  of  the  pile  ; the  hammer,  weighing  2,200 
pounds,  was  lowered  gently  upon  the  head  of  the  pile,  which  would  settle  from 
12  to  15  feet  as  the  sand  around  it  was  loosened  by  the  jet  ; the  hammer  was 
then  raised  and  a few  gentle  blows  struck,  after  which  the  pile  was  driven  by 
repeated  hammering  as  far  as  length  would  permit  ; an  iron-bound  follower  of 
oak  was  then  placed  upon  it,  and  the  driving  continued  till  no  settlement  what- 
ever could  be  observed.  One  driver  was  placed  at  each  end  of  the  caisson,  and 
the  two  worked  forward  till  they  met  at  the  centre  ; the  driving  was  very  slow, 
it  usually  requiring  24  hours  to  set  a pile  and  drive  it  home  ; the  piles  were 
placed  and  driven  as  far  as  possible  by  day,  and  then  followed  down  by  night. 
Borings  had  found  rock  at  an  elevation  of  48.5,  31.5  feet  below  the  base  of  the 
caisson,  and  a record  was  kept  by  the  foreman  of  the  depth  attained  by  each 
pile  ; nearly  all  of  those  first  driven  reached  the  rock,  but  as  the  work  proceeded 
the  sand  became  more  compact,  and  it  was  found  impossible  to  force  down  the 
last  40  piles  to  that  depth.  One  hundred  and  forty-four  bearing  piles  were 
driven,  some  of  them  being  struck  over  1,000  blows,  besides  about  a dozen 
piles  along  the  sides  of  the  caisson  to  serve  as  stiffeners. 


* This  shoe  is  shown  on  Plate  VI. 


70 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


The  pile-driving  was  completed  on  the  1st  of  December.  The  piles  were 
then  cut  off  under  water  at  an  elevation  of  89.9  with  a circular  saw  suspended 
from  a movable  frame  and  worked  by  six  men.  The  space  amongst  the  piles, 
above  the  sand,  was  filled  with  beton,  which  served  to  tie  the  piles  together, 
and,  being  enclosed  by  the  caisson,  would  of  itself  form  a sufficient  foundation,  if 
not  undermined  by  the  scour.  The  pit  was  then  pumped  dry  and  the  piles 
were  capped  with  flattened  sycamore  sticks,  on  which  was  laid  a second  course  of 
timber  of  the  same  kind,  the  hollow  spaces  being  all  filled  with  beton  ; on  this 
the  masonry  was  started  on  the  14th  of  January,  at  an  elevation  of  91.1. 

During  the  low-water  season,  after  the  completion  of  the  bridge,  a large 
quantity  of  heavy  stones  which  had  been  left  over  from  the  masonry,  were 
collected  and  placed  around  the  base  of  this  pier,  forming  the  foundation  of  a 
substantial  riprap  protection. 


PIER  No.  6. 

A few  piles  were  driven  on  the  proposed  site  of  this  pier  in  the  spring  of 
1867,  the  locations  of  the  piers  being  then  so  arranged  as  to  divide  the 
distance  of  577  feet  between  Piers  4 and  7 into  three  equal  parts.  After  the 
summer  flood  these  few  piles  were  found  to  have  collected  a quantity  of  drift 
and  roots,  which  was  partly  buried  in  the  sand  bar,  and  could  be  removed  only 
with  difficulty  ; the  location  of  the  pier  was  accordingly  moved  15  feet  to  the 
north,  or  to  a point  400  feet  from  the  old  site  of  Pier  No.  4,  and  these  obstruc- 
tions were  avoided. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  1867,  work  was  begun  by  driving  an  enclosure 
of  sheet  piling.  The  sheet  piles  consisted  of  pieces  of  four  inch  oak  plank,  the 
edges  grooved  and  pointed  to  fit  one  another,  and  the  lower  ends  sharpened  to 
a feather  edge.  They  were  driven  between  wales,  which  were  bolted  on  square 
timbers  previously  driven,  a wooden  follower  being  interposed  between  the  iron 
hammer  of  the  driving  engine  and  the  planks.*  On  the  28th  of  September  the 
enclosure  was  completed,  when  a pit  was  dug  with  shovels  within  the  piling  ; 
the  excavation  was  carried  to  a depth  of  15  feet  below  the  sand  bar,  reaching 


* The  plan  of  this  enclosure  and  a detail  plan  of  the  form  of  sheet  piles  are  given  on  Plate  VI. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


71 


an  elevation  of  94  ; the  sheet  piles  were  driven  down  as  the  work  proceeded, 
and  the  water  kept  out  by  a steam-pump. 

Three  pile-drivers  were  then  mounted  over  the  pit.  and  the  bearing  piles 
of  the  foundation  driven  ; these  were  90  in  number,  and  their  average  penetra- 
tion was  a little  more  than  30  feet.  The  drivers  were  at  first  worked  by  horse- 
power, but  this  was  found  unprofitably  slow,  and  two  of  them  were  afterwards 
worked  by  steam.  This  done,  the  pit  was  again  pumped  out  on  the  16th  of 
December,  and  the  excavation  carried  a foot  and  a-half  lower.  The  sand  was 
dug  away  from  the  outside  of  the  sheet  piling  for  eight  or  ten  feet,  to  relieve  the 
pressure,  but  it  was  found  difficult  to  excavate  much  faster  than  it  flowed  in  on 
the  inside  ; the  water  also  came  in  in  such  quantities  that  the  two  centrifugal 
pumps  were  required  to  keep  it  down.  The  piles  were  then  cut  off  with  axes 
and  the  heads  worked  smooth  ; they  were  capped  with  flattened  sycamore 
sticks,  on  which  a second  course  of  timber  was  laid,  which  was  planked  with 
four  inch  oak  plank,  finishing  at  an  elevation  of  94.7.  On  this  the  masonry  of 
the  pier  was  begun  on  the  3d  of  January,  1868.  The  pier  was  built  up  at 
once,  the  pit  around  it  being  filled  with  riprap. 

PIER  No.  7. 

As  early  as  February,  1867,  an  excavation  was  made  in  the  side  of  the 
bank,  at  the  site  of  this  pier,  and  in  this  the  foundation  piles  were  driven  at 
once.  They  were  73  in  number,  and  their  average  penetration  27  feet  ; their 
driving  occupied  about  a month,  from  the  27th  of  February  to  the  27th  of 
March.  The  excavation  was  then  resumed  around  the  piles,  but  after  a week’s 
work  the  men  were  driven  out  of  the  pit  by  the  rising  water  of  the  April  flood. 
The  water  continued  too  high  for  the  work  to  be  resumed  till  after  the  summer 
floods  ; when  it  fell  in  August  no  trace  of  the  foundation  could  be  seen,  the 
piles  having  been  completely  covered  by  the  deposit  of  sand.  The  pier  was 
therefore  located  anew,  an  excavation  made  at  the  site,  and  the  buried  piles 
dug  out,  in  nowise  injured  by  their  premature  inhumation.  A rough  enclosure 
of  sheet  piling  was  driven,  and  the  excavation  continued  below  ; the  water  came 
in  rapidly,  working  its  way  through  the  porous  soil,  and  making  the  excavation 


72 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


exceedingly  troublesome.  The  piles  were  cut  off  and  capped,  and  the  masonry 
started  on  the  1st  of  October,  at  an  elevation  of  101.1.  The  earth  was  after- 
wards replaced  around  the  pier  and  carefully  paved  with  rubble,  effectually 
excluding  the  timber-work  from  the  air,  while  the  moist  nature  of  the  soil 
renders  it  as  imperishable  as  if  perpetually  below  the  level  of  the  water  in  the 


river. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


MASONRY. 

The  contract  for  the  masonry  of  the  bridge  was  originally  let  to  Messrs. 
Yipond  and  Walker,  of  Kansas  City.  On  the  1st  of  July,  1867,  Mr.  Walker 
retired  from  the  firm,  and  his  place  was  supplied  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Burns  ; on  the 
25th  of  November,  in  the  same  year,  Mr.  Yipond  died,  and  the  work  under  the 
contract  was  completed  by  Mr.  Burns. 

By  the  terms  of  the  contract  the  Company  agreed  to  furnish  all  derricks 
required  for  handling  stone,  both  at  the  quarries  and  on  the  river,  and  also 
stone-boats  for  transporting  stone  to  the  pier  sites,  and  the  use  of  their  steam- 
boat to  tow  these  boats  to  the  points  desired.  The  contractors  were  to  furnish 
all  smaller  tools,  to  provide  power  for  the  derricks,  and  to  keep  derricks  and 
boats  in  repair  while  in  their  use.  The  cement  was  to  be  purchased  by  the 
Company  and  charged  to  the  contractor  at  cost. 

The  stone  used  was  limestone,  the  greater  part  of  which  was  quarried  in 
the  bluffs  south-west  of  the  city,  and  within  three  miles  of  the  bridge  site  ; a 
quarry  was  also  opened  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  from  which  a portion  of 
the  stone  used  in  Piers  5 and  6 was  obtained.  Several  varieties  of  stone  were 
worked,  the  best  of  which  was  a compact  blue  limestone,  of  nearly  uniform 
color,  found  in  continuous  layers  varying  from  15  inches  to  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness. As  this  stone  could  not  be  obtained  in  large  quantities  without  very 
expensive  stripping,  its  use  was  confined  to  the  ashlar  work  of  the  upper  parts 
of  the  piers  ; the  whole  of  the  piers,  below  the  top  of  the  ice-breakers,  was  built 
of  a more  coarsely  grained  stone,  of  a white  or  gray  color,  which  worked  into 
thicker  courses  than  the  blue  stone,  and  which  was  used  for  backing  throughout. 
The  stone  was  quarried  in  the  summer  and  early  autumn  of  1867,  so  as  to  allow 
a sufficient  time  for  seasoning  ; it  was  found  in  general  to  stand  the  frost  well, 

10 


T4 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


with  the  exception  of  one  lot  of  very  heavy  stones  from  a single  quarry  ; these 
were  badly  broken  by  the  first  heavy  frost  of  November  in  that  year,  and  the 
products  of  that  quarry  were  condemned  for  dimension  work  above  low  water. 

The  specifications  required  the  work  to  consist  of  the  best  description  of 
rock-range  work,  the  face  stones  to  be  cut,  squared,  and  bedded  with  one- 
quarter  inch  joints,  and  with  the  vertical  joints  cut  back  at  least  nine  inches 
from  the  face  ; the  ice-breaker  faces  were  to  be  cut  smooth,  and  drafts  cut  on 
all  angles  ; the  shoulders  and  corners  were  to  be  trimmed  so  as  to  have  no 
projection  exceeding  one  inch  and  a quarter,  while  no  projection  exceeding  four 
inches  was  to  be  allowed  on  any  part  of  the  pier.  The  whole  size  of  the  top 
of  each  pier  was  finished  smooth,  and  the  stone  bush-hammered,  the  face  of  the 
coping  being  also  trimmed  almost  smooth.  The  face  stones  were  fastened 
together  by  iron  cramps  of  inch  round  iron,  as  high  as  the  top  of  the  ice- 
breakers, and  this  system  of  dowelling  was  continued  at  the  shoulders  up  to 
the  overhanging  courses,  where  it  was  again  extended  to  the  whole  face.  The 
backing  was  formed  of  heavy  uncut  stone,  laid  in  full  mortar  beds,  the  crevices 
being  filled  with  smaller  stones  laid  also  in  mortar.  The  whole  amount  of 
masonry  was  laid  in  hydraulic  mortar,  the  usual  proportions  of  the  mixture 
being  two  parts  of  sand  to  one  of  cement  ; in  the  upper  courses,  which  are 
rarely  or  never  exposed  to  the  water,  this  mortar  was  mixed  with  a paste  of 
fat  lime.  The  hydraulic  cement  was  of  the  well-known  Louisville  manufacture, 
the  greater  part  being  purchased  from  the  Falls  City  Cement  Company. 

The  masonry  contract  included  the  beton  used  and  the  riprap  thrown 
around  the  piers,  though  not  the  river  protection  above  the  bridge.  The  beton 
was  formed  of  broken  limestone,  sand,  and  cement,  the  proportions  varying 
with  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  used.  The  stone  was  broken  by  hand  into 
pieces  that  would  pass  through  a three  inch  ring.  The  method  of  preparing 
the  beton  for  use,  was  to  mix  the  mortar  separately  in  a grout  box,  and  then 
pour  it  with  pails  over  the  stone,  which  had  previously  been  spread  evenly  over 
the  floor  and  moistened  with  water  to  remove  all  dirt  ; the  mixture  was  then 
rapidly  turned  over  with  shovels  and  deposited  at  once  in  its  place.  If  placed 
at  once  under  water,  it  was  lowered  carefully  in  boxes  of  the  patterns  already 
described.  The  beton  used  at  Pier  No.  3,  was  formed  of  six  parts  of  stone  to 


KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE 

PieF  Number  One 

Showing  Floating  Derrick 

= - ■«  f — i H 1 1-——-——  ml  ^ — 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


75 


three  of  sand  and  two  of  cement,  a slightly  larger  proportion  of  cement  being 
used  in  the  first  few  feet.  It  was  found,  however,  that  so  large  a measure  of 
sand  was  not  favorable  to  the  rapid  setting  which  is  important  when  the  beton 
is  exposed  to  the  water  from  the  very  first,  and  in  the  subsequent  foundations 
this  proportion  was  changed  ; the  beton  used  at  Pier  No.  4,  consisted  of  eight 
parts  of  stone  to  two  of  sand  and  three  of  cement  ; that  used  at  Pier  No.  2 
had  nearly  the  same  constitution.  In  laying  beton  under  water  considerable 
inconvenience  was  found  from  the  laitance  which  formed  in  large  quantities, 
especially  if  the  mortar  had  been  mixed  too  thin,  or  if  the  water  was  very  cold  ; 
it  was  sometimes  necessary  to  suspend  the  work  for  a day  or  two,  and  pump  out 
the  laitance,  but  it  was  generally  found  sufficient  to  pump  for  a few  hours  every 
night,  though  when  working  in  this  manner  care  had  to  be  taken  to  avoid 
washing  the  beton  before  it  had  set. 

Both  masonry  and  beton  were  laid  in  extremely  cold  weather,  the  use  of 
hot  sand  and  water  being  found  to  make  this  perfectly  practicable.  The  sand 
was  heated  in  large  sheet-iron  braziers,  and  the  water  warmed  in  cast-iron 
kettles,  one  of  each  being  found  sufficient  to  supply  the  force  working  on  a pier. 
The  heat,  which  was  thus  artificially  given  to  the  mortar,  hastened  its  setting, 
causing  this  to  take  place  before  the  mass  had  cooled  enough  to  make  freezing 
possible. 

The  form  of  pier  adopted  is  somewhat  unique,  and  was  selected  from  the 
advantages  it  was  thought  to  offer  in  combining  a roomy  bridge-seat  with  a 
slender  and  graceful  pier.  The  accompanying  lithograph,  representing  Pier  No. 
1,  and  taken  soon  after  its  completion,  shows  the  general  form  of  the  oblong 
piers.*  These  piers  are  built  with  a side  batter  of  three-quarters  of  an  inch  to 
a foot,  or  1 in  1 6,  and  the  same  on  the  starling  ; the  ice-breakers  have  a 
batter  of  six  inches  in  a foot,  or  one  in  two,  giving  to  the  cutting  edge  of  the 
nose  a retreat  of  eight  inches  and  a-half  in  each  vertical  foot.  The  angle  made 
by  the  two  faces  of  the  starling,  measured  on  a horizontal  plane,  is  a right 
angle.  The  ice-breakers  finish  at  an  elevation  of  116,  this  being  considered  the 
greatest  height  at  which  the  ice  will  ever  move  in  the  river  ; the  height  at 


* The  full  plans  of  the  several  pieces  of  masonry  are  given  on  Plate  VII. 


76 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


which  they  begin  varies  from  97.5  to  100,  the  latter  being  the  height  fixed  by 
the  original  plans,  and  adopted  on  Piers  1 and  6,  but  subsequently  changed  on 
observing  the  exceedingly  low  stage  at  which  the  ice  went  out  in  1868.  The 
ice-breaker  nose  is  protected  by  a heavy  plate  of  cast-iron,  and  the  shoulders 
are  carefully  dressed  to  a curve  ; this  cutting  being  done  after  the  stones  were 
laid  in  the  pier.  The  overhang  of  the  cornice  is  one  foot  on  each  side  of  the  pier, 
and  two  feet  on  the  starlings,  making  two  feet  and  ten  inches  on  the  angle  of 
the  nose.  All  the  oblong  piers  have  the  same  total  length,  the  difference  being 
in  their  thickness.  Piers  1 and  3 finish  eight  feet  thick  at  the  neck,  and  ten 
feet  broad  on  top  ; Piers  4,  5,  and  6 finish  seven  feet  thick  at  the  neck,  and  nine 
on  top  ; and  Pier  No.  7,  six  feet  at  the  neck  and  eight  on  top.  As  Pier 
No.  7 is  situated  within  the  line  of  the  shore  it  was  built  without  an  ice- 
breaker. All  of  those  piers  finish  at  an  elevation  of  145.6. 

The  pivot-pier  is  of  circular  form,  29  feet  in  diameter,  and  built  plumb  with- 
out a batter.  The  cornice  has  an  overhang  of  one  foot  and  a-half,  making  the 
diameter  on  top  32  feet.  This  pier  finishes  four  inches  higher  in  the  centre 
than  on  the  circumference,  this  difference  being  made  to  accommodate  the 
dimensions  of  the  turn-table  ; its  elevation  on  the  outside  is  142.24.  The  two 
pillars  on  the  bank  are  of  square  section,  measuring  seven  feet  and  eight  inches 
on  top  and  finishing  at  the  same  height  as  the  oblong  piers.  The  south 
abutment  is  built  with  its  ends  parallel  to  the  trusses  of  the  68  foot  span,  and 
finishes  at  an  elevation  of  147.10. 

These  sizes  make  the  actual  clear  openings  of  the  draw  160.38  feet,  at  an 
elevation  of  100,  the  lowest  navigable  stage  of  water  ; 162.8  feet  at  the  neck  of 
the  piers,  where  the  piers  are  narrowest,  and  160.25  feet  between  the  copings. 

The  first  stone  laid  was  in  the  south  abutment,  on  the  21  st  of  August, 
1867  ; work  was  suspended  here  during  the  building  of  Pier  No.  1,  and  the 
abutment  was  not  completed  till  the  latter  part  of  December.  The  pillars  were 
begun  in  December  immediately  after  the  completion  of  the  abutment,  and 
finished  in  the  following  month.  The  time  occupied  in  building  the  several 
piers  is  shown  by  the  following  table  : 


ICTOBER  10,  l868. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


77 


Pier  No.  1,  First  stone 

“ 2, 

“ 3, 

“ 4, 

“ 5, 

“ 6, 

“ 7, 


set  October  16,  1867. 
February  20,  1869. 
May  28,  1868. 
April  2,  1869. 
January  14,  1869. 
January  3,  1868. 
October  1,  1867. 


Pier  completed  November  30,  1867. 
“ April  21,  1869. 

“ September  14, 1868. 

“ May  5,  1869. 

“ March  9,  1869. 

“ February  14,  1868. 

“ November  15,  1867. 


This  does  not  include  the  masonry  laid  in  Pier  No.  4 during  the  sinking  of  the 
foundation. 

The  masonry  of  Piers  1,  2,  and  3 was  laid  entirely  with  floating  derricks, 
which  were  also  used  to  some  extent  at  Pier  No.  4.*  These  tools  were  found 
among  the  most  serviceable  parts  of  the  bridge  outfit,  and  admirably  adapted  for 
use  on  the  Missouri  river  ; by  chaining  them  to  the  sides  of  the  caissons,  or 
lashing  to  them  spars  which  rested  on  the  bed  of  the  river,  all  difficulty  from 
lurching  under  heavy  loads  was  obviated.  The  three  northern  piers,  as  well  as 
the  south  abutment  and  pillars,  were  built  with  land  derricks  of  the  ordinary 
pattern. 

The  amount  of  masonry  and  beton  in  the  several  piers  is  given  below. 
These  quantities  are  the  actual  amounts  returned  in  the  contractor’s  final 
estimates,  but  include  only  what  forms  a part  of  the  permanent  work,  taking 
no  account  of  the  rubble  masonry  used  in  weighting  the  caissons  for  Piers  2,  3, 
and  5,  nor  of  the  beton  placed  in  the  draw  rests  : 


South  Abutment, 197  cubic  yards  Masonry. 

Pillars, 90  “ • “ 

Pier  No.  1, 1,234  “ “ 

“ 2, 1,199  “ “ 767  cubic  yards  Beton. 

“ 3, 873  “ “ 833 

“ 4, 1,109  “ “ 1,169 

“ 5, 820  “ “ 333 

“ 6, 656 

“ 7, 434 


* Plate  VIE 


CHAPTEE  V. 


SUPERSTRUCTURE. 

In  the  early  part  of  August,  1867,  letters  were  sent  to  a number  of 
prominent  American  bridge-builders,  inviting  proposals  for  the  superstructure 
of  the  Kansas  City  Bridge.  These  letters  were  accompanied  by  sets  of  specifi- 
cations of  general  character,  which  were  intended  to  serve  rather  as  an  indica- 
tion of  the  quality  of  bridge  wanted,  than  to  contain  the  precise  requirements 
of  a contract.  The  lengths  of  the  several  spans,  and  the  uses  for  which  the 
bridge  was  building,  were  given  in  these  specifications  ; they  also  stated  that  it  was 
designed  to  build  the  draw  entirely  of  iron,  and  the  fixed  spans  of  a combination 
of  iron  and  wood,  the  latter  material  being  used  used  only  to  resist  compressive 
strains  ; the  moving  loads  to  be  assumed  in  the  calculations  were  specified,  as 
well  as  the  strains  to  which  the  iron  might  be  subjected,  and  the  factor  of 
safety  to  be  used  in  the  wooden  parts.  The  builders,  however,  were  invited  to 
propose  any  form  of  truss  which  they  might  select,  submitting  plans  of  the 
same  if  novel,  and  to  suggest  such  departure  from  these  specifications  as  might 
in  their  judgment  seem  wise,  with  the  reasons  for  the  change,  and  a statement  of 
the  benefit  resulting  therefrom.  At  the  same  time  a set  of  plans  for  the  fixed 
spans  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Tomlinson,  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  engineer, 
which  were  to  be  adopted  only  if,  on  a fair  examination,  they  were  found  to  be 
preferable  to  those  submitted  by  outside  parties.  It  had  been  intended  to  pre- 
pare plans  for  the  draw  as  well,  but  in  consequence  of  the  mass  of  detail  which 
this  would  involve,  and  the  shortness  of  the  time,  it  was  found  impossible 
to  do  so. 

Nine  sets  of  proposals  were  received  from  five  different  parties,  two  being 
on  the  common  Howe  truss  plan,  with  both  chords  of  wood  ; of  the  other  plans, 
three  were  adaptations  of  the  Pratt  truss,  one  being  entirely  of  iron,  and  the 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


79 


remaining  four  were  respectively  examples  of  the  Post,  the  double  and  the  single 
triangular,  and  the  Fisk  suspension  trusses.  On  the  30th  of  October  the  con- 
tract was  let  to  the  Keystone  Bridge  Company,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  ; the  fixed 
spans  were  to  be  built  according  to  the  plans  supplied  by  the  chief  engineer, 
the  iron  in  them  being  paid  for  by  the  pound,  and  the  timber  by  the  foot  ; 
the  draw  was  to  be  built,  according  to  the  contractors’  design,  for  a fixed  sum  ; 
subject,  however,  to  such  alterations  as  might  be  suggested  by  the  chief 
engineer,  the  Company  to  have  the  benefit  of  any  saving  which  might  result 
from  such  changes,  and  to  pay  any  extra  cost  which  they  might  involve. 
Under  this  provision  certain  changes  were  suggested  in  the  depth  of  the  truss 
and  arrangement  of  panels,  which  resulted  in  a material  reduction  of  the  cost. 
By  a subsequent  arrangement  a pony  truss  of  wrought-iron,  made  by  the  con- 
tractors from  their  own  designs,  was  built,  in  place  of  the  composite  structure 
proposed  by  the  engineer  for  the  shore  span  of  66  feet. 

The  general  design  of  the  fixed  spans  is  that  of  a double  triangular  truss 
or  trellis  girder,  in  which  the  top  chord,  posts,  and  braces  are  of  wood,  and  the 
other  members  of  wrought-iron,  cast-iron  being  used  in  the  details  and  con- 
nections. This  combination,  which  has  been  used  as  yet  only  to  a limited 
extent,  is  believed  to  overcome  the  most  objectionable  features  of  a wooden 
bridge,  avoiding  the  wasteful  connections  which  accompany  the  use  of  wood  in 
tension,  and  disposing  of  the  bulk  of  the  perishable  material  in  places  where  it 
can  easily  be  protected  ; besides  this,  the  character  of  the  butt-joint  connections, 
used  to  take  compression,  is  such,  that  worn  out  parts  can  be  removed  and 
replaced  by  others  without  disturbing  the  remaining  parts  of  the  structure ; it 
is  also  possible  to  replace  the  wooden  parts  by  iron,  and  thus  gradually  convert 
the  bridge  into  an  iron  structure  without  the  expense  of  false-works  or  the 
intermission  of  traffic.  The  braces,  which  are  always  open  to  the  air  on  all 
sides,  are  exposed  to  moisture  only  during  the  actual  prevalence  of  a storm, 
and  would  therefore  be  well  protected  by  a thorough  coating  of  paint.  The 
top  chord  can  be  covered  in,  and  thereby  thoroughly  protected  from  the  weather, 
without  perceptibly  increasing  the  wind  surface  of  the  bridge.  The  only  danger 
to  which  such  a bridge  can  be  exposed  is  that  of  fire,  and  if  the  wood-work  be 
painted  throughout  with  mineral  paint,  and  a watch  kept,  which  is  always 


80 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


necessary  at  Kansas  City,  men  being  constantly  needed  to  tend  the  draw,  and 
collect  tolls,  this  danger  is  reduced  to  almost  nothing. 

The  trusses  of  the  five  fixed  spans  measure  respectively  130,  198,  248, 
198,  and  176  feet,  the  difference  between  these  distances  and  the  lengths  of 
spans,  given  in  the  preceding  chapters,  being  the  allowance  made  for  pedestals, 
wall-plates,  and  clearance  room.  The  two  shortest  of  these  have  straight 
parallel  chords,  the  depth  of  truss  being  22  feet ; the  same  depth  is  retained  at 
the  ends  of  the  larger  spans,  but  in  them  the  upper  chord  is  arched  so  as  to 
increase  the  central  depth  to  one-eighth  of  the  length,  the  inclination  of  the 
braces  being  kept  nearly  constant  by  varying  the  lengths  of  the  panels.  The 
upper  chord  of  the  130  foot  span  is  formed  of  three  pieces,  packed  in  the  usual 
manner  ; in  the  other  spans  the  chord  is  of  five  parts,  and  supplemented  at  the 
centre  by  a sub-chord  of  two  parts.  The  lower  chords  are  of  wrought-iron 
upset  links  with  pin  connections,  made  under  the  Linville  and  Piper  patent. 
The  end  posts  and  braces  bear  upon  a cast-iron  pedestal,  which  rests  on  a wall- 
plate  likewise  of  cast-iron,  carefully  fitted  to  the  masonry,  and  well  bedded 
with  mortar  ; at  one  end  of  each  span  a set  of  rollers  is  placed  between  the 
pedestal  and  the  wall-plate.  In  place  of  the  ordinary  square  ends  the  braces 
are  cut  with  two  end  faces,  which  make  an  obtuse  angle  with  one  another,  and 
the  angle  blocks  are  cast  to  correspond  ; this  device  makes  it  impossible  for  a 
brace  to  slip  upon  its  bearing.  The  ties  are  of  square  iron,  with  a welded  loop 
at  the  lower  end,  passing  around  the  chord  pin,  and  a screw  cut  on  the  upper 
end,  which  is  previously  upset,  so  as  to  leave  an  equivalent  area  after  the 
cutting  of  the  screw.  In  the  130  foot  span  both  the  main  and  counter  braces 
are  single,  the  counters  bearing  upon  cast-iron  brackets  placed  on  the  sides  of 
the  main  braces  ; the  main  and  counter  ties  are  in  pairs  running  along  the  sides 
of  the  braces.  In  the  other  spans  the  main  braces  are  in  pairs,  and  the  count- 
ers, which  are  single,  pass  between  them.  In  the  176  foot  span  both  sets  of 
ties  are  in  pairs,  the  main  ties  passing  outside  of  the  main  braces,  and  the 
counter  ties  between  the  main  and  counter  braces.  The  arrangment  of  ties  is  the 
same  in  the  central  panels  of  the  198  and  248  foot  spans,  but  in  the  panels  near 
the  ends  there  are  four  main  ties,  two  passing  outside  the  main  braces,  and  two 
between  them  and  the  counter.  In  all  the  spans  the  counter  ties  are  carried 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


81 


only  so  far  as  the  stiffness  requires,  but  a counter  brace  is  placed  in  every  panel 
to  take  a bearing  in  screwing  up  the  main  ties. 

The  most  novel  detail  of  this  truss  is  the  top  angle  block  ; this  is  of  cast- 
iron  and  formed  of  three  forms  of  castings.*  The  respective  parts  are : First , 
the  angle-block  proper  or  brace-bearing,  which  is  placed  below  the  chord,  and 
receives  the  ends  of  the  braces  in  the  central  panels  of  the  four  largest  spans ; 
this  is  cast  with  extended  ends,  to  form  a connection  with  the  sub-chord. 
Second , the  keys,  which  pass  through  the  chord  in  much  the  same  manner  as 
ordinary  packing  blocks  ; they  are  cast  hollow,  in  as  many  parts  as  there  are 
spaces  between  the  cnord  timbers,  and  with  side  plates  to  receive  the  ends  of 
the  timbers  whenever  a joint  is  broken.  Third , the  washer  plates,  which  rest  on 
the  top  of  the  chord  and  carry  the  nuts  of  the  ties  ; the  plates  for  the  main  and 
counter  ties  are  cast  separate.  The  brace-bearings  are  cast  with  flanges  extend- 
ing their  whole  length,  which  fit  into  grooves  cut  in  the  chords,  and  bear 
against  the  cast-iron  keys;  the  ties  pass  through  the  hollow  keys,  nowhere  com- 
ing in  contact  with  the  wood  of  the  chords.  As  the  ties  take  hold  of  the  washer- 
plates  above,  and  the  braces  rest  against  the  bearing  below,  both  of  which 
bear  upon  the  keys,  the  strain  is  distributed,  from  the  first,  through  the  whole 
section  of  chord,  instead  of  being  thrown  entirely  upon  one  edge,  as  is  usual  in 
wooden  bridges.  The  keys  also  serve  to  throw  the  vertical  component  of  the 
strain  in  the  ties,  directly  upon  the  braces,  without  the  intervention  of  the  soft 
wooden  chord. 

The  lower  angle-block,  or  brace-bearing,  is  cast  in  a single  piece,  having  a 
series  of  webs  on  the  under  side  through  which  the  pin  passes. 

The  top  laterals  are  of  the  pattern  commonly  used  with  the  Howe  truss, 
except  that  the  bearing  of  the  half  struts  is  taken  by  small  castings  placed 
around  the  centre  of  the  long  strut,  instead  of  being  thrown  directly  upon  the 
wood.  The  bottom  laterals  have  cross  struts  and  diagonal  ties,  each  strut 
extending  from  the  foot  of  a post  to  the  opposite  point  on  the  chord-link  of  the 
other  truss  ; the  ties  connect  at  one  side  with  an  eye-plate  which  fits  over  the 
chord-pin,  and  at  the  other  with  bent  rods  attached  by  nuts  and  a casting  to 

* These  details  are  shown  on  Plate  X.,  which  contains  also  the  general  plans  of  the  248  foot  span.  Plate  IX. 
contains  a general  elevation  of  the  bridge,  and  some  plans  of  the  176  foot  span. 

11 


82 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


the  chord-link  ; each  tie  is  in  two  parts,  the  adjustment  being  made  with  a 
sleeve  nut. 

The  floor  beams,  of  which  there  are  two  in  each  panel,  are  formed  of  two 
pieces  of  pine,  each  six  by  fifteen  inches,  placed  side  by  side  and  trussed  ; they 
are  placed  above  the  lower  chord  and  rest  upon  cast-iron  plates  with  raised 
centres,  by  which  the  weight  is  distributed  equally  upon  the  several  links. 
Owing  to  the  skew  of  the  bridge,  which  is  reduced  to  six  feet  three  inches  in 
the  superstructure,  the  two  floor  beams  which  come  in  the  same  panel  on  one 
truss  are  divided  on  the  other.  The  floor  stringers,  running  lengthwise  with 
the  bridge,  are  seven  in  number,  those  under  the  rails  being  each  formed  of  two 
pieces  of  seven  by  fourteen  inch  pine  ; on  these  are  laid  two  courses  of  one  and 
a quarter  inch  matched  flooring  placed  diagonally,  the  planks  of  the  second 
course  crossing  those  of  the  first,  three  layers  of  tarred  paper,  heavily  coated 
with  fresh  roofing  pitch,  being  placed  between  the  two  ; on  these  is  laid  a 
Nicholson  pavement  four  inches  thick,  the  whole  being  covered  with  sand  and 
pitch  in  much  the  usual  manner.  The  rail  is  of  the  street  rail  pattern,  weighing 
68  pounds  to  the  yard,  and  made  at  the  Palo  Alto  Rolling  Mill,  at  Pottsville, 
Pa.  ; it  is  laid  on  a longitudinal  strip  of  oak  resting  upon  the  pine  flooring. 
The  floor  is  given  a slight  arch,  and  is  drained  into  gutters  on  each  side,  which 
discharge  through  cast-iron  scuppers,  placed  at  such  intervals  as  to  avoid 
wetting  the  floor  beams. 

A foot-walk  is  placed  upon  the  west  side  of  the  bridge,  supported  by 
brackets  which  are  bolted  to  the  floor  beams  ; the  floor  is  made  of  two  inch 
plank  and  a substantial  wooden  hand-rail  is  placed  on  the  outside.  The  top 
chord  is  protected  from  the  weather  by  a covering  of  pine  boards,  finished  with 
a narrow  overhanging  cornice  ornamented  with  brackets.  The  wThole  super- 
structure, including  the  iron  parts,  is  painted  with  three  heavy  coats  of  a 
mixture  of  oil  and  crushed  iron  ore,  manufactured  by  the  Iron-Clad  Paint 
Company,  Cleveland,  Ohio  ; all  cracks  and  weather  checks  in  the  timber  having 
been  stopped  with  putty,  after  putting  on  the  first  coat.  The  wooden  keys  and 
all  joint-bearings  were  painted  with  the  same  composition  before  putting  the 
truss  together,  and  the  closed  covering  is  covered  with  a roofing  paper  made 
by  coating  thick  brown  paper  with  a coarse  variety  of  this  paint. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


83 


As  the  trusses  are  subject  to  a double  deflection,  the  expansion  of  the  lower 
chord  under  an  increase  of  temperature  operating  in  this  way,  as  well  as  the 
strains  produced  by  a load,  they  are  built  with  a somewhat  greater  camber  than 
is  usually  put  in  railroad  bridges  ; the  camber  of  the  248  foot  span  is  82  inches, 
that  of  the  198  foot  span  7 inches,  and  those  of  the  176  and  130  foot  spans, 
respectively,  54  and  44  inches.  These  cambers,  however,  are  materially  in 
excess  of  any  actual  deflection. 

In  proportioning  the  trusses  the  central  tie  rods  and  the  truss  rods  of  the 
floor  beams  were  allowed  to  bear  a strain  of  10,000  pounds  to  the  square  inch, 
each  floor  beam  being  supposed  to  take  the  greatest  load  which  the  drivers  of 
a locomotive  could  possibly  throw  upon  it,  and  no  allowance  being  made  for 
the  stiffness  of  the  timber  under  a transverse  strain  ; the  strain  in  the  end  ties 
and  chord-links  was  limited  to  12,000  pounds  per  square  inch,  but  no  allowance 
was  made  for  the  reduction  of  strain  which  the  curvature  of  the  upper  chord 
would  make  in  the  end  panels  of  the  web.  This  practice  of  allowing  a greater 
strain  per  square  inch  on  those  parts  which  are  fully  strained  only  under 
a maximum  load,  than  on  those  which  are  liable  to  be  strained  to  the  full 
calculated  amount  by  any  heavy  locomotive,  is  believed  to  have  originated  with 
Mr.  Albert  Fink,  and  is  thought  to  be  a more  accurate  method  of  proportion- 
ing than  the  common  one,  which  makes  no  difference  in  strain  per  square  inch 
on  the  different  parts  under  a maximum  load.  The  strain  upon  the  timber  of 
the  top  chord  was  limited  to  800  pounds  on  the  square  inch,  the  braces  were 
proportioned  by  the  well-known  formula  of  Hodgkinson,  seven  being  the 
factor  of  safety  adopted.  The  assumed  moving  load  was  2,240  pounds  per 
running  foot  for  the  four  longest  spans,  and  2,800  pounds  for  the  130  foot 
span. 

The  trusses  are  anchored  to  the  piers  by  long  rods  of  one  and  a half  inch 
round  iron,  which,  extending  from  the  top  chord,  pass  over  cast-iron  struts 
projecting  outwards  from  the  coping,  and  are  fastened  by  nut  and  screw  through 
the  eye  of  a three-inch  pin  set  fifteen  inches  into  the  masonry.  The  trusses 
are  further  stiffened  by  corner  braces  extending  from  the  end  posts  to  a cross 
stretcher  overhead,  and  the  three  longest  spans  have  sets  of  similar  braces 
placed  at  intervals  through  their  length. 


84 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


The  amount  of  material  in  the  several  trusses,  including  floor  beams  and 
stringers,  is  as  follows  : — 


Length 

ok 

Span. 

Timber. 

Wrought-Iron. 

Cast-Iron. 

130 

35,739  ft.  B.  M. 

44,053  lbs. 

27,137  lbs. 

176 

57,854 

72,969  “ 

49,491  “ 

198 

78,277 

89,449  “ 

54,119  “ 

248 

101,688 

147,432  “ 

70,646  “ 

To  this  must  be  added  194,911  feet  B.  M.  of  pine  lumber,  24,167  ft.  of  oak, 
7,200  lbs.  of  wrought-iron,  and  1,700  lbs.  of  cast-iron,  used  in  the  planking, 
pavement  blocks,  hand  rail,  vertical  bracing,  anchor  rods  and  chord  covering, 
on  the  fixed  spans  ; this  additional  amount  includes  the  floor  and  footway  of  the 
66  ft.  span. 

The  method  of  manufacture  b}?  which  the  wrought-iron  parts  were  pre- 
pared rendered  them  free  from  the  common  danger  of  defective  welds.  The 
chord  links  were  made  by  upsetting  the  ends  of  flat  bars  of  rolled  iron  till  an 
increase  of  section  somewhat  in  excess  of  that  required  was  obtained,  and  then 
working  down  under  the  hammer  and  drilling  the  hole  for  the  pin,  leaving  them 
absolutely  free  from  welds.  The  only  weld  in  the  panel  ties  was  that  formed 
in  joining  the  return  end  of  the  loop  to  the  long  bar  ; this  weld  would  at  most 
be  exposed  to  but  half  the  strain  upon  the  tie  ; and  even  if  the  weld  were 
absolutely  worthless,  the  tie  would  have  the  full  strength  of  a hook  around  the 
chord-pin.  For  these  reasons,  it  was  not  considered  desirable  to  test  every 
piece  of  iron  with  a moderate  strain  of  20,000  to  25,000  lbs.  to  the  inch,  as  is 
often  done  for  similar  works.  Such  a strain  could  at  most  be  expected  to 
reveal  the  defects  of  manufacture,  which  the  methods  here  adopted  precluded 
the  possibility  of ; while  the  effect  of  such  a strain,  by  giving  a set  to  the  iron, 
and  impairing  its  perfect  elasticity,  would  be  deleterious  rather  than  other- 
wise. Samples  of  the  iron  were,  however,  taken  and  tested  to  breaking  in  an 
hydraulic  tester  under  a slow  and  long-continued  strain,  with  the  following 
results : — 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


85 


First  Test. — Bar,  1!  inches  square,  with  welded  loop  at  each  end,  length 
5 feet  between  centres  of  loops.  Four  equal  spaces  of  one  foot  each  were  laid 
out  on  the  central  part  of  the  bar.  No  perceptible  extension  was  noted  with  a 
strain  of  10,000  lbs.  per  square  inch,  and  but  little  with  20,000  lbs.  With  a 
total  strain  of  130,000  lbs.,  equal  to  57,777  lbs.  per  square  inch,  the  length  had 
increased  six  inches,  and  the  bar  yielded  by  the  opening  of  one  of  the  welds  ; 
the  four  spaces,  after  the  removal  of  the  bar,  measured  respectively  12^f, 
12^  12'!  and  13g  inches  ; the  last  including  a part  of  the  broken  weld. 

Second  Test. — Bar  2 inches  square,  9 feet  long,  with  loop  on  one  end  and 
nut  on  the  other,  extended  by  strain  of  130,000  lbs.  1 inch,  by  160,000  lbs.  3 
inches,  by  176,000  lbs.  4!  inches,  by  200,000  lbs.  8 inches,  and  by  221,000  lbs. 
12  inches,  when  it  broke  about  18  inches  from  the  nut,  showing  a fine  fibre-like 
fracture,  the  strain  being  55,250  lbs.  to  each  original  inch  of  section  ; but  the 
reduced  section  at  the  break  was  only  2.85  sq.  inches,  making  the  strain  some- 
what over  77,000  lbs.  to  the  square  inch.  Five  equal  spaces  of  one  foot  each, 
laid  off  on  the  bar  before  straining,  measured  after  the  break  13g,  131,  13^, 
13yg  and  13!  inches. 

Third  Test. — Bar  l!  inches  square,  38  feet  long,  and  3.0625  sq.  inches, 
under  the  following  strain  extended  as  given  below  : — 

Total  strain,  2G,000  lbs.  8,500  lbs.  to  square  inch.  Extension,  | inch. 

“ 52,000  “ 17,000  “ “ “ ll 

“ 78,000  “ 25,500  “ “ “ f* 

No  perceptible  set  after  strain  of  28,000  lbs.  on  the  square  inch. 

A number  of  tests  were  made  at  the  same  time  of  iron  of  the  same  quality 
manufacturing  for  the  Dubuque  bridge,  with  similar  results.  This  iron  is  of 
the  kind  known  as  Kloman’s  mixture,  manufactured  at  the  Union  Iron  Mills, 
Pittsburg,  the  ties  and  truss-rods  being  made  of  double-rolled,  refined  iron. 
The  bar  broken  in  the  second  test  was  afterwards  cut  up,  and  three  small  pieces 
were  turned  out  of  it,  each  having  a reduced  central  diameter.  These  were 
taken  to  the  Fort  Pitt  Foundery,  and  tested  in  the  lever  machine  belonging  to 
the  U.  S.  Government ; two  of  these  tore  out  of  the  clutches  before  breaking, 
when  the  strains  per  square  inch  were  respectively  62,760  lbs.  and  63,134  lbs. 


86 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


The  last  specimen  broke  under  a strain  of  84,032  lbs.  per  square  inch,  and 
showed  a beautiful  fracture  entirely  fibrous. 

The  cast-iron  used  in  the  details  was  a gray  iron  formed  of  a mixture  of 
pig,  generally  adopted  by  the  Keystone  Bridge  Company. 

Specimens  were  tested  by  suspending  a weight  upon  a bar  two  inches  by 
one,  and  placed  upon  support  four  feet  apart.  The  specifications  required  that 
this  breaking  weight  should  not  be  less  than  2,100  pounds,  and  in  all  of  the 
tests  it  was  found  to  be  much  in  excess  of  this  amount. 

The  shore  span  is  a riveted  trellis  girder  of  wrought-iron  71  feet  long  and 
8 feet  deep.  The  chords  are  of  J section,  composed  of  two  vertical  plates,  one 
horizontal  plate  and  two  angle  pieces  ; in  the  bottom  chord  the  horizontal  plate 
does  not  reach  to  the  ends  of  the  span,  and  the  other  parts  are  continuous  for 
the  whole  length.  The  braces  are  each  formed  of  two  pieces  of  J iron  placed 
back  to  back,  and  enclosing  the  ties,  which  are  single  bars  of  flat  iron  ; both 
ties  and  braces  are  riveted  between  the  vertical  chord  plates.  The  laterals  are 
of  wrought-iron,  and  the  trusses  are  stiffened  by  short  braces  of  J iron  connect- 
ing the  floor  with  the  web.  The  end  posts  are  enclosed  in  light  ornamental 
castings.  The  floor  beams  are  of  pine,  six  inches  by  eighteen,  without  trussing, 
placed  two  feet  between  centres  ; on  this  is  laid  a floor  similar  to  that  on  the 
other  fixed  spans.  The  amount  of  material  in  this  span,  exclusive  of  pavement 
and  hand  rail,  is  as  follows:  Lumber,  7.684  feet  B.  M.  ; wrought-iron,  32,165 
pounds  ; cast-iron,  4,328  pounds. 

The  draw  measures  361  feet  and  3 inches  over  all ; it  is  a Pratt  truss  of 
similar  plan  to  the  large  draws  erected  by  the  Keystone  Bridge  Compan}7  at 
Cleveland,  Dubuque,  and  other  points.  The  skew  is  taken  out  of  the  truss  by 
making  the  end  panels  of  unequal  lengths,  the  difference  being  5 feet  6 inches. 
The  upper  and  lower  chords  are  of  like  pattern,  formed  of  two  I beams  and 
two  channel  bars  eight  inches  deep,  placed  side  by  side  and  united  by  a plate 
riveted  to  their  upper  flanges.  The  posts  are  of  wrought-iron,  of  the  Linville 
pattern.  The  ties  are  round,  with  both  ends  upset  for  screws  ; the  main  ties 
are  in  pairs,  and  the  counters  single,  passing  through  the  posts.  The  washer 
plates  upon  which  bear  the  nuts  of  the  ties  are  of  cast-iron,  except  the  top 
centre,  which  is  forged.  The  floor  beams  are  ten-inch  rolled  1 beams,  and  rest  on 


^.UGUST  2D.  1869 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


87 


the  top  of  the  lower  chord.  The  floor  is  of  two-inch  oak  plank  laid  on  the  oak 
track  stringers,  and  pine  floor  joists.  There  is  no  separate  footway  on  the 
draw.  The  turn-table  is  formed  of  an  external  drum  thirty  feet  in  diameter, 
and  a central  shell  of  cast-iron,  hung  by  ten  bolts  on  one  of  Sellers’  patent 
pivots  ; the  drum  and  shell  are  connected  by  a pair  of  plate  girders  under  the 
centre  posts,  and  a set  of  radial  rods.  The  bolts  are  adjusted  so  as  to  throw 
almost  the  entire  weight  on  the  centre,  the  drum  serving  only  as  a guide  and 
balancer.  The  draw  is  easily  opened  by  four  men,  with  levels  attached  to  two 
pinions  on  the  drum,  in  two  minutes,  but  as  a precaution  against  wind  and 
other  dangers,  it  is  to  be  fitted  with  a steam-engine.  The  latch  is  worked  from 
the  centre  by  a hand-lever  ; a bearing  is  secured  by  wedges  which  are  driven 
under  the  four  end-posts,  the  four  being  worked  by  a single  central  lever.  The 
amount  of  material  in  the  draw,  including  both  trusses  and  turn-table,  is  as 
follows  : Timber  (in  floor),  26,025  feet  B.  M. ; wrought-iron,  495,575  pounds  ; 

cast-iron,  122,041  pounds.* 

In  proportioning  the  draw,  it  was  supposed  to  carry  the  whole  dead  lead 
on  the  central  bearing  when  swung,  and  each  arm  was  supposed  to  carry  its 
share  of  the  dead  load,  and  a moving  load  of  one  ton  to  the  foot  when  closed, 
no  allowance  being  made  for  the  continuity  of  the  chords.  Though  this  has 
been  the  method  by  which  most  of  the  large  iron  draws  lately  built  have  been 
proportioned,  the  engineers  were  convinced  that  it  is  a method  of  computation 
which  gives  very  erroneous  results,  showing  the  central  strains,  especially  in  the 
wreb,  to  be  much  less  than  they  really  are,  with  corresponding  excesses  in  other 
parts  ; a set  of  calculations  believed  to  be  based  on  a more  correct  hypothesis 
will  be  found  in  a subsequent  chapter.  The  distribution  of  strain  is  regulated 
by  the  proportion  of  the  total  weight  thrown  upon  the  end  piers,  and  is  there- 
fore largely  dependent  on  the  form  of  latch  used.  The  wedges  under  the  end 
posts  have  but  a small  lifting  power,  as  is  fully  proved  by  the  action  of  the  draw 
under  a passing  load,  a heavy  freight  train,  covering  one  arm  only,  causing  the 
further  end  to  rise  from  its  bearings  f of  an  inch.  A set  of  hydraulic  jacks  are 
to  be  substituted  for  the  wedge  plates,  the  jacks  being  placed  within  the  hollow 
end-posts  and  worked  from  the  turn-table  by  pumps  driven  by  the  steam- 


The  Plans  of  the  Draw  are  given  on  Plate  XI. 


88 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


engine  ; it  is  thought  that  under  this  arrangement  a sufficient  lifting  power  can 
be  obtained  to  make  the  proportioning  of  the  draw  sufficiently  correct  to  pre- 
vent distortion. 

The  130  and  176  foot  spans,  as  well  as  the  little  iron  span,  were  raised  in 
the  spring  of  1868.  The  130  foot  span  was  the  first  erected,  the  trestle  used  in 
building  Pier  No.  1 being  made  available  for  one  side  of  the  false- works.  The 
two  other  spans  were  over  dry  land  at  the  time  of  their  erection,  and  ordinary 
f'alse-works,  resting  on  the  ground,  were  used  for  their  raising.  The  remainder 
of  the  superstructure  was  not  raised  till  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  when 
the  first  span  raised  was  that  between  Piers  5 and  6,  while  the  sand  bar  con- 
tinued dry.  The  greatest  difficulties  occurred  in  the  case  of  the  span  between 
Piers  3 and  4,  where  the  strength  of  the  current  and  depth  of  the  water, 
especially  near  Pier  No.  3,  would  have  carried  away  any  common  false-works  in 
a very  few  hours.  The  distance  between  the  caisson  around  Pier  No.  3 and  the 
false-works  at  No.  4 was  divided  into  four  nearly  equal  spaces.  Between  the 
first  and  second  of  these  spaces,  a cluster  of  eight  piles  in  two  rows  eight  feet 
apart  was  driven  in  thirty-five  feet  of  water,  the  piles  being  kept  from  washing 
out  by  guying  them  with  lines  as  fast  as  driven ; a crib  of  round  timber  was 
then  built,  enclosing  the  piles,  which,  on  being  sunk  by  filling  it  with  stones, 
should  at  once  retard  the  wash  and  bind  the  piles  together.  A precisely  similar 
arrangement  was  adopted  between  the  second  and  third  spaces.  This  work  was 
begun  on  the  10th  of  March  ; on  the  14th  the  weather  became  very  cold,  and 
the  ice  began  to  run  in  large  quantities  ; the  numerous  obstructions  of  the 
false-works  impeded  the  flow  of  ice,  and  in  the  forenoon  of  the  16th  it  jammed 
at  the  bridge  site  and  the  river  became  closed.  The  weather  had  already 
begun  to  moderate,  and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  ice  moved  out;  it 
was  very  weak,  but  the  cakes  had  packed  together,  forming  large  thick  fields, 
which,  however,  were  too  soft  to  bear  the  weight  of  a man.  The  sixteen  piles 
of  the  two  clusters  had  been  driven,  a crib  had  been  built  about  the  first  cluster, 
though  not  sunk,  and  carpenters  were  at  work  upon  the  second  crib,  when  the 
ice  began  to  move  across  the  whole  width  of  the  river  at  once  ; it  tore  out  all 
of  the  sixteen  piles,  taking  the  cribs  with  them,  and  carried  along  with  it  the 
pile-driver,  barges  and  men.  The  boats  moved  but  slowly,  being  frequently 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


89 


retarded  by  ice  jams,  and  while  still  opposite  the  town  they  were  overtaken  by 
the  steamboat  and  secured,  having  suffered  no  material  damage  ; but  no  trace 
of*  piles  or  crib-work  remained,  and  two  months  later  one  of  the  cribs  was 
observed  forty  miles  down  the  river,  with  a pile  still  remaining  in  it.  This 
gorge  was  accompanied  by  a considerable  scour,  the  water  at  the  site  of  the 
second  set  of  piles  having  been  deepened  about  twelve  feet. 

The  piles  were  at  once  replaced,  and  the  cribs  built,  sunk  and  protected  by 
additional  riprap  ; the  piles  were  then  capped  and  surmounted  by  trestle  piers, 
which  were  planked  on  the  sides  and  provided  with  timber  starlings,  eight  or  ten 
feet  high,  as  a protection  against  drift.  Between  the  third  and  fourth  spaces, 
where  the  depth  of  sand  was  much  greater,  a single  row  of  five  piles  was  driven, 
which  were  braced  to  the  false-works  of  Pier  No.  4,  riprapped  and  surmounted 
by  a trestle  bent.  Other  bents  were  raised  on  the  caisson  surrounding  Pier  No. 
3,  and  on  the  false-works  at  No.  4,  and  a false  pier  of  timber  was  erected  imme- 
diately south  of  Pier  No.  4,  the  masonry  being  still  unfinished,  one  side  of  which 
rested  on  the  upper  section  of  the  caisson,  and  the  other  side  on  the  false-works. 
Eight  trussed  girders,  made  of  track  stringers  and  rods  which  had  been  used 
at  No.  4,  were  built  upon  the  shore,  and  raised  by  a floating  derrick  into  posi- 
tion on  the  trestles,  one  being  placed  under  each  bridge  chord  ; on  these  were 
laid  the  cross-timbers  and  other  staging  required.  These  false-works  proved 
amply  stiff,  and  when  removed  after  the  erection  of  the  span,  it  was  found 
easier  to  break  the  piles  off'  immediately  above  the  cribs  than  to  withdraw 
them.  The  false-works  between  Piers  4 and  5 were  built  at  the  same  time, 
resting  on  piles,  and  a light  track  was  laid  from  the  north  end  of  the  bridge, 
nearly  to  Pier  No.  3.* 

The  198  ft.  span  was  raised  as  soon  as  these  false-works  were  ready.  As 
Pier  No.  4 was  still  incomplete,  the  last  panel  was  not  put  in,  but  a bearing 
was  taken  on  the  false  pier,  one  panel  short  of  the  end  of  the  truss,  the  top 
stood  projecting  over,  the  links  of  the  bottom  chord  being  left  to  hang 
down.  On  the  completion  of  the  pier  the  last  panel  was  added,  and  the  bear- 
ing was  transferred  to  the  masonry.  The  erection  of  the  long  span  between 
Piers  4 and  5 followed,  completing  the  number  of  fixed  spans. 

"These  false-works  are  shown  on  Plate  VII. 

12 


90 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


The  draw  span  was  raised  on  false-works  extending  from  the  pivot  pier  to  the 
upper  and  lower  rests.  As  the  small  amount  of  sand  above  the  rock  precluded 
the  driving  of  piles,  these  works  were  built  on  cribs,  two  of  which,  loaded  with 
stone,  were  placed  between  the  pier  and  each  rest.  These  cribs  were  originally 
intended  to  serve  as  the  foundation  of  a permanent  draw  protection  ; they  were 
built  in  the  winter  of  1868-9  ; were  made  thirty  feet  square,  and  divided  by  four 
cross-walls  into  nine  compartments.  The  deadening  effect  of  the  upper  rest  and 
pier  on  the  current,  had  so  checked  the  scour  that  the  cribs  did  not  settle  to  the 
rock,  and  as  their  bearing  was  not  thought  to  be  firm  enough  to  carry  a perma- 
nent structure,  they  were  built  up  above  ordinary  high-water,  and  a wooden 
truss,  strong  enough  to  sustain  itself  if  the  cribs  settled,  and  which  should 
serve  as  false-works  for  raising  the  draw,  was  built  upon  them.* 

As  soon  as  Pier  No.  2 had  been  completed,  the  pivot  was  placed  upon  it, 
and  the  turn-table  put  together  ; the  chords  were  then  spread  out  and  riveted, 
and  the  bridge  trusses  made  self-sustaining  at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  the 
whole  structure  being  raised  in  about  six  weeks.  The  cribs  settled  slightly  under 
the  weight  of  iron,  but  not  enough  to  give  trouble,  the  subsidence  being  remedied 
by  additional  blocking.  Since  then  the  upper  cribs  have  not  settled  materially, 
and  are  probably  on  their  permanent  bearing  ; but  the  night  after  the  weight 
of  the  truss  had  been  taken  off  the  false-works,  a rise  in  the  river  scoured 
around  the  two  lower  cribs,  causing  them  to  settle  away  from  the  truss  ; under 
the  continued  scour  of  the  summer  flood  they  continued  to  settle,  tilting  from 
side  to  side,  and  finally,  when  the  flood  was  at  its  height,  they  tipped  over  and 
rolled  away  ; the  false-work  truss  remains  standing,  and  no  harm  was  done  to 
the  works. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  public  opening  on  the  3d  of  July,  the  bridge  was 
tested  in  the  presence  of  a number  of  engineers  invited  to  examine  it,  with  the 
following  results  : — 


176  FOOT  SPAN. 


Load  at  North  quarter  of  Span 
North  quarter  Deflection  . 


46  Tons. 


Centre 


Load  at  Centre  and  North  quarter 


92  Tons. 


* The  temporary  Draw  Protection  is  shown  on  Tlate  VII. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


01 


North  quarter  Deflection 
Centre  “ .... 

South  quarter  “ 

Load  at  Centre  and  both  quarters 

North  quarter  Deflection 

Centre  “ 

South  quarter  “ 

Full  load 

North  quarter  Deflection 
Centre  “ 

South  quarter  “ 

Permanent  Set 

Elongation  of  Bottom  Chord  . 


■ H Iuch- 

.1 1 « 

• TS 
2 8 “ 

■S-2 

...  1 12  Tons. 
Inch. 

n 4 « 

3? 

3 3 « 

•3  2 

...  170  Tons, 
f \ Inch. 

3 7 “ 

sir  “ 

i “ 

ttt 

1 « 

A 


198  FOOT  SPAN  (Piers  5 to  6). 

Loaded  with  four  Locomotives 

North  quarter  Deflection 

Centre  “ 

South  quarter  “ 

Permanent  Set 

Elongation  of  Bottom  Chord 


. . . 187  Tons. 
Inch. 

■14  a 

3 i! 

4 1 ee 

3^ 

1 1 <C 

HI 

13  (C 
3? 


248  FOOT  SPAN. 

Fully  loaded 

North  quarter  Deflection 

Centre  “ 

5 1 

6 9 

233  Tons. 
Inch. 

U 

South  quarter  “ 

4 8 

te 

Permanent  Set 

5 

ee 

Elongation  of  Bottom  Chord 

3. 

ee 

198  FOOT  SPAN  (Piers  3 to  4). 


Fully  loaded 187  Tons. 

Centre  Deflection Inch. 


No  Permanent  Set. 


DRAW  SPAN. 

North  Arm  loaded 

North  quarter  Deflection 

Centre  “ 

South  quarter  “ 

Centre  of  South  Arm  rose 


...170  Tons. 
Inch. 

3 4 “ 

3 2 


19  <c 
3 2 


92 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


Both  Arms  loaded 313  Tons. 

Centre  Deflection,  North  Arm Inch. 

Permanent  Set,  “ “ £ “ 

North  quarter  Deflection,  South  Arm “ 

Centre  “ “ “ “ 

South  quarter  “ “ “ “ 

Permanent  Set •§  “ 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  these  tests  were  made  before  the  bridge  had  been 
screwed  up  under  a load,  and  while  the  hearings  were  not  perfectly  close  ; they 
consequently  show  greater  deflection  than  a subsequent  testing  would  indicate. 


.OOKING  ffORTH,^UG. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


OUTFIT. 

The  isolated  position  of  Kansas  City,  its  distance  from  manufacturing  and 
commercial  centres,  and  the  unsettled  character  of  the  neighboring  country, 
were  most  felt  at  the  beginning  of  the  work  in  the  collection  of  a suitable  outfit. 
The  character  of  the  work  was  also  such  that  the  full  number  of  tools  needed 
was  only  learned  as  the  works  advanced,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  equipment 
grew  up  with  the  progress  of  the  several  foundations.  Nearly  all  the  tools, 
including  the  boats  used  for  transporting  material,  had  to  be  built  for  the  pur- 
pose, much  of  the  time  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1867  being  occupied 
in  this  preparation.  The  derricks  were  built  of  native  lumber,  which  was  but 
poorly  suited  to  this  object,  though  it  was  made  use  of  as  far  as  could  well  be 
done  ; the  masts  and  booms  were  made  of  cotton-wood,  and  though  of  a cheap 
pattern,  the  derricks  did  good  service.  A machine-shop  wTas  fitted  up  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  two-thirds  of  a mile  above  the  bridge,  where  all  the  smaller 
iron-work  needed,  and  the  lighter  pieces  of  timber-work,  were  prepared  ; this 
shop  was  fitted  out  with  a Daniels’  planing-machine,  circular-saw,  lathe,  screw- 
cutter,  drill,  and  such  other  implements  as  were  required  for  four  blacksmith 
fires.  Though  containing  a number  of  tools  not  usually  wanted  for  bridge 
works,  the  outfit  was  as  small  as  was  deemed  practicable,  and  could  more  pro- 
perly be  charged  with  inadequacy  than  with  extravagance. 

The  boats  provided  were  as  follows  : 

A side-wheel  high-pressure  steamboat,  135  feet  long,  of  the  kind  in  com- 
mon use  on  Western  rivers;  this  boat,  “The  Gipsey,”  was  built  for  an  Ohio 
river  packet,  on  which  river  she  was  purchased. 

Four  flat  boats,  each  53  feet  long,  18  feet  wide,  and  3 feet  deep. 


94 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


One  smaller  flat  boat,  with  hole  through  the  centre  for  boring,  and  used 
also  for  stone. 

Two  small  barges,  about  50  feet  long,  purchased  at  Kansas  City,  and 
rebuilt  for  use  on  the  bridge. 

Three  flat  boats  with  square  bows,  two  of  them  20  by  53  feet,  and  the 
other  22  by  64  feet.  Two  of  them  were  fitted  out  as  floating  derricks,*  and  the 
third  was  used  for  pile-driving. 

One  small  scow,  housed,  and  used  as  a diving  boat. 

A large  yawl,  with  a crew  of  seven  men,  and  a skiff  manned  by  two  men, 
were  also  kept  on  the  river  ; a few  other  skiffs  were  generally  in  use  on  various 
parts  of  the  works,  and  two  small  flats,  which  could  easily  be  towed  by  the 
yawl,  were  used  as  sand  boats.  One  of  the  large  flats  sunk  in  the  spring  of 
1868  when  heavily  loaded  with  stone,  and  was  lost  ; the  other  six  were  rebuilt 
after  the  completion  of  the  bridge  ; their  decks  were  raised,  and  they  were  con- 
verted into  pontoons,  to  be  anchored  in  a line  above  Pier  No.  1,  where  they 
should  serve  as  a protection  for  steamboats  passing  down  through  the  draw.f 

The  principal  items  in  the  remaining  equipment  were  : — 

Four  portable  steam-engines,  of  8,  12,  15  and  25  horse-power  respectively ; 
one  of  these  was  employed  to  drive  the  machinery  in  the  shop. 

One  nine-inch  Alden  centrifugal  pump. 

One  No.  4 Andrews  centrifugal  force-pump,  four  inch  discharge,  and  six 
inch  supply  pipes,  with  flexible  hose. 

One  six-inch  steam  siphon  pump. 

One  donkey  pump,  used  for  jetting. 

One  air-pump,  diving-dress  and  outfit  complete. 

Four  large  dredges,  with  attachments. 

One  small  dredge. 

Three  pile-drivers,  with  2,200  pound  hammers. 

Eight  land  derricks,  with  rigging  complete,  and  horse-powers. 

One  sawing-machine,  for  cutting  off  piles  under  water. 


* Plate  VIII. 

t The  Pontoon  Protection  is  shown  on  Plate  II ; the  dotted  lines  on  the  plan  indicate  the  position  of 
the  floats  at  high  water. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


95 


Three  triangular  beton  boxes. 

Two  square  beton  boxes. 

Two  steam  crabs,  one  single  and  one  double. 

Six  land  crabs. 

To  these  should  be  added  the  belts,  pulleys,  and  shafting  used  in  driving 
the  machinery  at  the  several  piers,  the  long  suspension  screws  referred  to  in  the 
chapter  on  Foundations,  with  nuts  and  wrenches  ; the  gas-pipe  and  flexible 
hose,  used  for  both  steam  and  water  ; sand-pans  and  water-kettles  used  in 
mixing  mortar  in  cold  weather  ; two  or  three  small  portable  forges  ; a good 
supply  of  blocks  and  lines,  and  the  proper  complement  of  smaller  tools,  which 
it  is  needless  to  mention.  A tremmie  was  constructed  for  laying  beton  under 
water,  but  never  used.  The  more  important  tools  which  were  designed  origi- 
nally for  this  work,  have  been  described  in  the  preceding  pages. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CALCULATED  STRENGTH. 


The  many  plans  prepared  during  the  construction  of  the  Kansas  City 
Bridge  involved  a proportionate  amount  of  mathematical  calculation  ; much  of 
this  was  of  a simple  and  elementary  character,  devoid  of  general  interest  ; hut 
no  account  of  the  work  would  be  complete  which  did  not  embrace  a review  of 
the  stresses  in  the  foundation  works,  the  pressure  upon  the  several  foundations, 
and  the  strains  in  the  superstructure,  these  being  the  points  in  which  the  compu- 
tations were  carried  into  the  greatest  detail,  and  which  have  the  most  important 
bearing  on  the  general  structure. 

The  foundation  works  embrace  both  the  caissons,  which  were  exposed  to  the 
pressure  of  the  sand  and  water,  and  the  upper  works,  which  carried  the  sus- 
pended weight.  The  strains  in  the  latter  were  of  a simple  character,  and  need 
not  be  enumerated  here  ; those  in  the  former  arose  from  the  pressure  of  the 
water,  due  both  to  the  current  and  the  depth,  and  the  pressure  of  the  sand, 
including  also  the  friction  caused  by  this  pressure  on  the  sides  of  the  descend- 
ing caisson.  The  effects  of  the  current  was  computed,  but,  though  important 
in  determining  the  strength  of  the  cables  used  in  anchoring  the  water-deadener 
and  placing  the  round  caisson,  it  was  too  slight  to  influence  the  general  results 
elsewhere. 

WATER  PRESSURE. 

The  greatest  water  pressure  occurred  when  the  caisson  for  Pier  No.  1 was 
pumped  out.  The  surface  of  the  water  was  then  101.4,  about  a foot  and  a half 
above  the  ordinary  low-water  stage,  and  four  feet  and  a half  above  the  extreme 
low-water  ; the  elevation  of  the  rock  was  about  84,  so  that  the  pressure  cor- 
responded to  a depth  of  very  nearly  17.5  feet  ; this  made  the  pressure  on  each 
horizontal  foot  of  caisson  9,570  pounds,  and  the  total  pressure,  estimating  the 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


97 


perimeter  at  155  feet,  1,483,250  pounds,  or  a little  less  than  1 50  tons.  The 
form  of  the  caisson  was  such  that  the  starlings  braced  themselves,  and  the  only 
pressure  which  had  to  be  carried  by  interior  braces  was  that  on  the  opposite 
long  walls,  the  total  strain  on  the  braces  being  equal  to  the  pressure  on  55  feet, 
the  length  of  one  of  these  sides,  or  483,300  pounds.  This  would  have  been 
carried  by  twenty-five  braces,  each  eight  inches  square,  with  a strain  scarcely 
exceeding  300  pounds  on  the  square  inch  ; but  to  avoid  all  possibility  of  acci- 
dent, nearly  double  this  strength  of  bracing  was  used.  No  other  caisson  was 
pumped  out  to  nearly  this  depth  ; the  round  tub  used  at  Pier  No.  2,  from  its 
circular  form,  withstood  the  strains  upon  it  without  the  aid  of  interior  bracing. 


SAND  PRESSURE  AND  FRICTION  ON  SIDES  OF  CAISSONS. 

The  pressure  of  the  sand  was  considered  the  same  as  the  thrust  of  a bank 
of  earth,  the  particles  of  which  have  no  mutual  cohesion  and  computed  by  the 
formula  : — 

P = !r/i!  tan2  — * , , 

2 2 («•) 

in  which  P denotes  the  total  pressure  on  each  horizontal  foot  ; w,  the  weight  of 
a cubic  foot  of  the  earth  or  other  material  ; h,  the  height  of  the  bank  in  feet, 
and  a,  the  angle  which  the  natural  slope  of  the  material  makes  with  a vertical 
line,  being  the  complement  of  the  angle  of  repose  and  determined  by  the 
relation  : — 

Cot.  a = coefficient  of  friction  of  material  on  itself. 

The  application  of  this  formula  becomes  somewhat  complicated  when  the 
earth  or  sand  is  submerged.  The  action  of  the  water  is  threefold  : 1st,  it  gives 
buoyancy  to  the  mass,  thereby  diminishing  the  weight  ; 2d,  by  acting  as  a lubri- 
cator on  the  surfaces  in  contact,  it  reduces  the  friction  and  increases  the  value 
of  a ; 3d,  the  pressure  due  to  its  weight  is  added  to  the  thrust  of  the  bank.  The 
two  first  of  these  are  simple  and  easily  provided  for  by  making  the  proper 
changes  in  the  values  of  w and  a ; the  latter  is  of  a more  complicated 
nature,  dependent  largely  on  the  character  of  the  material.  If  the  bank 


* This  formula  is  taken  from  Claudel,  Aide  Memoire,  etc.  7ieme  Edition,  p.  1252.  It  is  also  found  in  a 
slightly  modified  form  in  Rankine’s  Civil  Engineering,  4th  Edition  p.  322  (11.) 

13 


98 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


is  formed  of  loose  stones  or  coarse  gravel,  the  pressures  of  sand  and 
water  remain  distinct,  each  substance  transmitting  its  own  pressure,  and  the 
gravel  alone  producing  friction  ; if  the  material  is  a water-tight  clay,  the 
weight  of  the  water  above  is  equivalent  to  that  of  any  other  load,  increas- 
ing definitely  the  pressure  of  the  clay  and  causing  additional  friction  ;*  if,  how- 
ever, as  is  commonly  the  case,  the  material  be  something  between  these 
extremes,  a fine  sand,  a silt,  or  mixture  of  the  two,  the  water  neither  penetrates 
the  whole  with  perfect  freedom  nor  remains  as  a weight  on  the  top  of  a sub- 
stance which  it  does  not  enter  ; its  action  is  therefore  dependent  on  capillary 
attraction  and  matters  which  cannot  be  measured  precisely  ; and  while  the  total 
pressure  would  not  differ  materially  from  that  in  either  of  the  two  preceding 
cases,  the  portion  of  that  pressure  which  is  transmitted  by  the  sand,  and  which 
alone  produces  friction,  would  be  somewhat  greater  than  in  the  case  of  the 
gravel  and  less  than  with  the  clay.  This  could  be  better  guarded  against  by 
an  empirical  allowance  than  measured  by  exact  computation  ; in  estimating  fric- 
tion, accordingly,  the  calculations  were  made  by  the  formula  given  above,  but 
the  value  given  to  iv  was  the  full  weight  of  the  saturated  sand,  and  not  its  sub- 
merged weight  alone  ; this,  undoubtedly,  gave  excessive  results,  but  as  no 
allowance  was  made  for  the  portion  of  the  pressure  of  the  superposed  water 
transmitted  by  the  sand,  this  discrepancy  was  a little  less  than  might  at  first  be 
supposed. 

The  coefficient  of  friction  of  wet  Kansas  City  sand  upon  itself  was  ascer- 
tained by  experiment  to  be  about  .8  ; the  least  observed  was  .725,  which  cor- 
responds very  nearly  to  a = 54°  ; this,  substituted  in  the  above  formula,  gives 

P = 0.1298  /i2  w.  ( b .) 

Substituting  for  w the  immersed  weight  of  the  heaviest  sand  weighed,  or  69.5 
pounds : — 

P = 9.02  /i2.  (c.) 

And  if  w be  made  the  full  weight  of  a cubic  foot  of  such  sand  saturated, 

P = 17.13  A2.  (d.) 


* In  this  case  the  actual  and  not  the  submerged  weight  of  the  clay  must  be  used  in  computation  ; but 
the  cohesiou  of  the  particles  of  clay  is  so  great  that  this  formula  would  give  very  excessive  results. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


99 


Experiments  indicated  the  coefficient  of  friction  of  dressed  oak  on  sand  to 
be  .475,  but  in  calculations  it  was  generally  assumed  to  be  .5,  which,  substituted 
in  equation  (c.),  gives  for  the  friction  corresponding  to  each  horizontal  foot  of 
caisson  ; — calling  the  friction  F 

F = 4.51  li- ; (e.) 

or,  substituted  in  equation  ( d ), 

F = 8.56  /i2.  (/.) 

The  average  weight  of  saturated  sand,  however,  did  not  exceed  125  pounds  to 
the  cubic  foot,  and  the  coefficients  of  friction  adopted  have  been  slightly  ex- 
cessive ; the  decimals  may  therefore  be  omitted,  and  the  formula  reduced  to  the 
convenient  form  : — 

F = 8/i2.  (g.) 

The  average  friction  in  pounds  on  each  superficial  foot  of  caisson  in  contact 
with  the  sand  may  therefore  be  considered  as  eight  times  the  average  depth  in 
feet  of  the  cutting  edge  below  the  surface  of  the  sand.  This  formula  of  course 
varies  with  the  material,  and  in  its  present  form  is  applicable  only  to  the  Mis- 
souri River. 

The  sand  pressure  on  the  caisson  at  Pier  No.  5,  when  sunk  twenty  feet  into 
the  sand,  that  being  the  depth  of  sand  immediately  around  it  when  the  sinking 
was  completed,  computed  by  formula  (c.),  which  would  properly  be  used  in  this 
case,  as  the  external  water  pressure,  whether  through  sand  or  water,  was  bal- 
anced by  an  equal  internal  water  pressure,  was  3,608  pounds  on  each  horizontal 
foot,  or,  estimating  the  perimeter  as  155  feet,  559,240  pounds  on  the  entire 
caisson  ; this  was  less  than  two-fifths  of  the  water  pressure  on  the  caisson  used 
at  Pier  No.  1,  and  was  easily  carried  by  internal  braces.  The  sand  pressure  at 
No.  3 was  never  so  great  as  this.  In  proportioning  the  inverted  caisson  for  Pier 
No.  4,  the  timber-work  was  made  strong  enough  to  withstand  the  thrust  of  the 
sand,  without  the  assistance  of  the  beton.  The  formula  by  which  the  pressure 
should  be  computed  in  this  case  is  : — 

P = 9.02  (A2— /t'2).  (h.) 

in  which  h denotes  the  total  depth  of  sand,  and  h'  the  depth  above  the  top  of  the 
inverted  caisson.  Assuming  h — 40  and  h'  — 28,  this  equation  gives  for  the 


100 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


pressure  on  eacli  foot  of  perimeter  7,360  pounds,  a weight  which  a timber  wall 
at  least  fourteen  inches  thick  and  eleven  feet  wide  would  easily  carry  over  the 
distances  between  the  three  cross-walls. 

The  planking  of  the  caisson  used  for  Piers  3 and  5 was  not  dressed,  and  the 
roughness  of  the  timber  increased  the  friction  about  one-quarter,  changing  for- 
mula ((/.)  to 

F = 10A2.  (i.) 

The  available  weight  was  in  each  of  these  cases  barely  enough  to  overcome  this 
friction,  which  accounts  for  the  slow  progress  of  the  sinking  and  the  interrup- 
tions caused  by  sand-slides.  The  greatest  available  weight  of  the  caisson  at 
Pier  ]STo.  3 was  about  700,000  lbs.,  which  is  equivalent  to  the  friction  produced 
by  21.25  feet  of  sand,  the  perimeter  of  the  caisson  being  155  feet ; though  this 
was  greater  than  the  actual  average  depth  of  sand,  the  excess  was  too  small  for 
advantageous  work.  At  Pier  No.  5,  on  the  2d  of  July,  1868,  the  effective  weight 
for  each  foot  of  perimeter  of  the  caisson  was  2183.5  pounds  ; the  average  depth 
of  the  surrounding  sand  was  then  15.5,  corresponding  to  a friction  of  2402.5 
pounds  per  horizontal  foot  ; this  deficiency  was  remedied  by  piling  sand  above 
the  caisson,  but  the  weight  was  always  too  small  for  good  results.  It  may  be 
noted,  that  a caisson  whose  weight  is  barely  greater  than  that  of  the  water  it 
displaces,  may  be  sunk  by  long-continued  dredging  ; the  amount  of  sand  exca- 
vated will  be  many  times  the  capacity  of  the  caisson,  but,  as  the  external  sand 
slides  down  and  passes  under  the  edge,  it  will  slowly  carry  down  the  caisson. 

The  relation  between  weight  and  friction  at  Pier  No.  4 is  most  plainly 
shown  by  the  tables  in  Appendix  E ; the  friction  per  square  foot  of  rubbed  sur- 
face, computed  by  formula  (g.),  is  added  to  these  tables  for  convenience  in 
showing  this  relation.  The  advantage  of  having  a sufficient  excess  of  weight  to 
cause  the  cutting  edge  to  penetrate  well  into  the  sand,  cannot  be  overestimated  : 
it  aids  in  feeding  the  excavators,  reduces  the  amount  of  excavation,  and  pre- 
cludes sand- slides. 

PRESSURE  ON  FOUNDATIONS. 

The  pressure  upon  the  foundations  of  the  seven  piers  is  given  below.  In 
these  computations  the  masonry  is  assumed  to  weigh  155  pounds  per  cubic  foot, 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


101 


and  the  beton  135  pounds;  these  weights  are  probably  slightly  in  excess  of  the 
actual  weights.  In  estimating  the  weight  of  the  superstructure  carried,  Piers  1 
and  3 are  each  supposed  to  carry  one  half  the  weight  of  one  arm  of  the  draw, 
with  the  same  length  of  moving  load,  this  result  being  attainable,  with  a lifting 
latch  of  sufficient  power  ; Pier  No.  2 is  supposed  to  carry  the  entire  weight  of 
the  draw  and  turn-table,  with  290.5  feet  of  moving  load,  those  being  the  weights 
carried  by  it  under  the  present  arrangement  of  wedge  plates.  In  Piers  1,  2 and 
3,  the  base  of  the  foundation  is  assumed  to  be  the  whole  size  of  the  caisson 
inside  of  the  frame,  but  not  reaching  within  fifteen  inches  of  the  outside  of  the 
planking  ; in  Pier  No.  4,  wdiere  the  lower  caisson  forms  not  only  the  covering, 
but  an  integral  part  of  the  pier,  the  foundation  is  assumed  to  be  the  full  size  of 
the  caisson,  and  the  timber  and  iron  are  computed  as  part  of  the  weight  carried. 
The  moving  load  is  assumed  to  be  2,240  pounds  to  the  foot,  excepting  in  the 
case  of  Pier  No.  7,  where,  as  the  length  of  track  carried  is  but  100  feet,  the  load 
per  foot  is  estimated  at  2,800  pounds  ; the  weights  of  the  trusses  are  the  same 
as  those  used  in  proportioning  the  superstructure  : — 


PIER  No.  1. 


Masonry,  1,234  c.  yards 5,164,290  lbs. 

Truss 131,500  “ 

Draw,  90  feet 172,800  “ 

Moving  load,  157.5  feet 352,800  “ 


Total 5,821,390  “ 


Area  of  base,  98G  sq.  feet  ; pressure  per  sq.  foot,  5,904.05  lbs.  ; pressure  per  sq.  inch, 
41  lbs. 


PIER  No.  2. 


Masonry,  1,199  c.  yards 5,017,815  lbs. 

Beton,  767  c.  yards 2,795,715  “ 

Draw 735,000  “ 

Moving  load,  290.5  feet 650,720  “ 


Total 9,199,250  “ 


Area  of  base,  1,104.46  sq.  ft.  ; pressure  per  sq.  ft.,  8329.18  lbs.  ; pressure  per  sq.  inch, 
57.84  lbs. 


102 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


PIER  No.  3. 

Masonry,  873  c.  yards 

Beton,  833  c.  yards 

Truss 

Draw,  90  feet 

Moving  load,  181.5  feet 


3,653,505  lbs. 
3,036,285  “ 
245,000  “ 
172,800  “ 
406,560  “ 


Total 


7,514,150  “ 


Area  of  base,  1,087.12  sq.  ft.  ; pressure  per  sq.  ft.,  6,911.92  lbs.  ; pressure  per  sq.  inch, 
48  lbs. 


PIER  No.  4. 

Inverted  caisson 

Section  2,  “ 

t(  g (C 

Masonry,  1,109  c.  yards 

Beton,  1,169  c.  yards. 

Trusses 

Moving  load,  225  feet 


291,625  lbs. 
95,810  “ 
95,150  “ 
4,631,165  “ 
4,261,005  “ 
572,180  “ 
504,000  “ 


Total 10,450,935  “ 

Area  of  base,  1,321.87  sq.  ft.  ; pressure  per  sq.  ft.,  7,906.15  lbs.  ; pressure  per  sq.  inch, 
54.9  lbs. 


PIER  No.  5. 

Masonry,  820  c.  yards 

Timber  footing 

Trusses 

Moving  load,  225  feet 

Total 

144  piles  ; weight  per  pile,  31,929.17  lbs. 

PIER  No.  6. 

Masonry  656  c.  yards 

Timber  footing 

Trusses 

Moving  load,  188  feet 

Total 


3,421,700  lbs. 
100,000  “ 
572,180  “ 
504,000  “ 


4,597,880  “ 


2,776,016  lbs, 
100,000  “ 
452,900  “ 
421,120  “ 


3,750,036  “ 


90  piles  ; weight  per  pile,  41,687.07  lbs. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


103 


PIER  No.  7. 


Masonry,  434  c.  yards 1,81G,290  lbs. 

Timber  footing 100,000  “ 

Truss 207,900  “ 

Moving  load,  100  feet 280,000  “ 


Total 2,404,190  “ 


73  piles  ; weight  per  pile,  32,934.11  lbs. 

RESISTANCE  AGAINST  ICE. 

The  shock  imparted  to  a pier  by  the  impact  of  ice,  depends  upon  the  size 
of  the  cake,  the  speed  of  the  current,  and  the  time  occupied  in  bringing  it  to 
rest ; if  a small  cake  could  be  stopped  instantaneously,  it  would  impart  a suffi- 
cient shock  to  move  the  largest  pier  a distance  proportional  to  their  relative 
size,  but  as  the  cake  is  always  more  or  less  shattered  by  the  blow,  it  moves  a 
greater  or  less  distance  after  it  strikes,  and  the  time  which  it  continues  to  move, 
or,  measuring  this  motion  by  distance,  the  distance  which  the  pier  ploughs  into 
the  field  of  ice  reduces  and  determines  the  force  of  the  impact.  The  greatest 
shock  which  a pier  will  be  called  upon  to  sustain  might  be  calculated  from  these 
conditions,  but  can  be  more  readily  estimated  by  measuring  the  force  of  a blow 
which  will  crush  the  ice  along  the  whole  width  of  a pier.  Sound  ice  begins  to 
yield  under  a pressure  of  200  pounds  on  the  square  inch,  and  is  crushed  to 
atoms  when  this  pressure  is  increased  to  450  pounds,  as  was  ascertained  by 
experiments  made  on  these  works.  When  the  ice  breaks  up  at  Kansas  City  it 
is  seldom  more  than  one  foot  thick,  and  the  upper  part  is  always  so  soft  and 
rotten  that  one  foot  may  be  estimated  as  the  maximum  thickness  of  solid  ice. 
Piers  1 and  3 finish  eleven  feet  thick  at  an  elevation  of  112,  fifteen  feet  above 
extreme  low  water  ; this  is  probably  some  feet  higher  than  the  ice  ever  moves  ; 
the  amount  of  masonry  above  this  elevation  is  405  yards,  which,  with  the  por- 
tion of  the  truss  carried  by  Pier  No.  1,  weighs,  estimating  the  masonry  at  4,000 
lbs.  to  the  cubic  yard,  1,751.500  lbs.  The  crushing  shock  on  eleven  square  feet 
at  450  lbs.  to  the  square  inch  is  712,800  lbs.,  and  the  ratio  of  this  shock  to  the 
weight  that  must  be  moved  to  disturb  the  pier  is  .4175,  or  less  than  the 
coefficient  of  friction  of  stone  on  stone  ; the  piers  are  therefore  sufficiently  heavy 


104 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


to  withstand  the  blows  from  floating  ice,  without  relying  upon  the  adhesion  of 
the  cement,  or  depending  upon  the  retreating  and  pointed  form  of  the  ice- 
breaker for  any  further  assistance  than  to  keep  the  pier  clear  of  jams. 

THRUST  OF  SAND  BARS. 

Another  disturbing  cause  to  which  the  piers  are  exposed  is  the  thrust  of  a 
sand  bar  on  one  side,  while  the  other  side  is  washed  clean  by  the  scour.  The 
greatest  exposure  of  this  kind  would  occur  at  Pier  No.  4 ; if  the  sand-bank  on 
the  north  side  of  this  pier  were  fort)7  feet  high,  and  the  rock  was  swept  clean 
on  the  south  side,  the  thrust  of  sand  to  be  sustained  on  each  horizontal  foot, 
estimated  by  formula  (c.),  would  be  14,432  pounds,  and  the  thrust  upon  the 
whole  pier,  70  feet  long,  would  be  1 ,010,240  pounds.  The  moment  of  this 
thrust,  tending  to  overturn  the  pier,  will  be  equal  to  this  pressure  multiplied  by 
the  height  of  the  equivalent  centre  of  application  above  the  base  of  the  pier, 
or  one-third  the  height  of  the  sand-bank,  13.33  feet ; which  gives  for  the  over- 
turning moment  13,469,833  pounds. 

The  weight  of  the  pier,  allowing  for  the  buoyancy  due  to  the  immersion  in 
an  extreme  flood,  is  not  far  from  6,000,000  pounds.  The  moment  of  weight 
tending  to  resist  overturning  is  equal  to  this  amount  multiplied  by  one-half  the 
breadth  of  the  base  of  the  pier,  or  11.25  feet,  giving  for  this  moment  of  resist- 
ance 67,500,000  pounds,  or  about  five  times  the  greatest  overturning  moment 
due  to  the  thrust  of  the  sand  bar.* 

STRENGTH  OF  FIXED  SPANS  OF  SUPERSTRUCTURE. 

The  strains  on  the  fixed  spans  of  the  superstructure  were  computed  by  the 
simple  method  usually  employed  in  calculating  the  strains  on  the  different  mem- 
bers of  an  isolated  span.  The  strains  upon  the  panel  ties  and  braces  in  all  the 
spans  were  estimated  as  if  both  chords  were  horizontal  ; the  results  thus 
obtained  were  not  strictly  correct  in  the  cases  of  the  three  longest  spans,  but 


* No  allowance  has  been  made  in  this  calculation  for  the  bond  formed  by  the  beton  with  the  bed  rock, 
whereas,  even  if  the  adhesion  of  the  mortar  be  considered  as  nothing,  by  excluding  the  water  from  the  base  of 
the  pier,  it  makes  the  entire  weight  of  the  pier,  without  deduction  for  immersion,  available  to  prevent  its  overthrow. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


105 


the  errors  were  on  the  side  of  safety,  and  the  strains  thus  calculated  in  excess  of 
those  which  actually  occur.  This  will  appear  from  the  accompanying  figures. 


Figs.  1 and  2 represent  the  upper  parts  of  the  end  panels  of  single  triangular 
trusses  in  which  the  end  post  is  vertical,  and  Figs.  3 and  4 the  same  parts  of 
similar  trusses  in  which  the  end  post  is  inclined.  In  Figs.  2 and  3 the  upper 
chord  is  inclined  as  in  the  end  panels  of  a truss  in  which  the  upper  chord  is 
arched,  and  in  Figs.  1 and  4 it  is  horizontal.  As  the  end  posts  carry  the  full 
weight  transferred  to  the  masonry,  the  weight  upon  them  will  be  the  same  in 
every  case  ; representing  the  strain  upon  these  parts  by  AB,  and  completing 
the  parallellograms  of  forces  A B D C,  it  is  evident,  by  an  inspection  of  the 
figures,  that  the  diagonal  AD,  representing  the  weight  carried  by  the  panel  tie, 
is  less  in  Figs.  2 and  3 than  in  Figs.  1 and  4.  The  same  will  be  true  in  every 
panel  where  the  arch  of  the  upper  chord  gives  it  a sufficient  inclination  to  have 
an  appreciable  effect,  and  as  the  double  triangular  truss  is  simply  a combination 
of  two  single  triangular  trusses,  in  one  of  which,  according  to  the  arrangement 
adopted  in  this  bridge,  the  end  post  is  vertical  and  in  the  other  inclined,  the 
strains  in  the  web  will  be  reduced  by  the  action  of  the  arch  in  the  same 
manner. 

The  maximum  strains  upon  the  different  parts  of  the  fixed  spans  under  the 
action  of  a moving  load,  computed  as  above  stated,  are  given  in  Appendix  F.* 


* Skeleton  Diagrams  of  the  130,  176,  198  and  248  ft.  spans  are  given  on  Plate  XII.  Tlie  figures  denote  the 
strains  in  tons  of  2,C0J  lbs.,  the  compressive  strains  being  marked  +,  and  the  tensile  — . 

14 


IOC) 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


DEFLECTIONS  OF  THE  248  FT.  SPAN. 


The  248  foot  span  measures  246  feet  between  the  centres  of  end  connec- 
tions, the  height  between  centres  22  feet,  and  the  versed  sine  of  the  arch  of  the 
upper  chord  is  10  feet.  A full  load  of  2,240  pounds  to  the  foot,  or  250  gross 
tons  for  the  entire  span  between  centres  of  piers,  throws  upon  the  timber  of  the 
top  chord  a compressive  strain  of  325  pounds  per  square  inch  of  section,  and  on 
the  wrought-iron  of  the  lower  chord  a tensile  strain  of  5,200  pounds  per  square 
inch  of  section  ; these  strains  being  in  addition  to  those  caused  by  the  dead  load. 
The  compressive  strain  of  325  pounds  per  square  inch  on  the  pine  timber 
shortens  the  upper  chord  .000226  of  its  length,  and  the  tensile  strain  of  5,200 
pounds  per  square  inch  on  the  wrought-iron  links  lengthens  the  lower  chord 
.00018  of  its  length.  The  deflection  caused  by  the  load  depresses  the  centre  of 
the  arch,  thereby  increasing  the  distance  between  the  end  connections  ; denoting 
the  deflection  by  d and  this  increase  of  distance  by  e,  it  will  be  determined  by 
the  equation 


e = d 


2X10 

123 


+ kd 


4X2.5 

6.15 


+ T hd 


8X-5 

30.75 


+ • • — 


26  d 
123 


The  radius  of  the  curve  assumed  under  this  deflection  by  a horizontal  line  con- 
necting the  ends  of  the  span  is  given  by  the  equation 

h 


in  which  h denotes  the  height  of  the  truss  at  the  ends,  i the  relative  increase  of 
length  in  the  bottom  chord,  and  i'  the  relative  increase  of  distance  between  the 
end  connections  of  the  top  chord  ; in  this  case 

/i  = 22  i = .00018  i'  = - .000226  + 

The  deflection  is  given  by  the  equation 

d — r-  _ 1232 


The  solution  of  these  several  equations  gives 

e = .0222  i' = -.000136 

r — 69620  d — .109  = lT5ff  inches. 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


107 


To  obtain  the  actual  deflection,  that  due  to  the  strains  in  the  braces  and 
panel  ties  must  be  added  to  the  deflection  thus  obtained.  The  heaviest  strain 
caused  by  the  moving  load  alone  upon  the  braces  is  240  pounds  per  square  inch, 
and  upon  the  ties  5,000  pounds  per  square  inch,  shortening  each  brace  .000165 
of  its  length,  and  lengthening  each  tie  .000172  of  its  length  ; making  the  deflec- 
tion due  to  each  triangle  .000337  of  the  height  of  that  triangle ; but  as  the 
central  ties  and  braces,  which  are  the  longest,  are  but  slightly  strained  by  a full 
load,  the  average  deflection  due  to  all  the  triangles  will  not  exceed  .00025  of  their 
height.  The  aggregate  height  of  the  five  triangles  on  each  side  of  the  centre,  in 
the  system  whose  tie-rods  meet  at  the  centre,  is  140  feet,  making  the  deflection 
due  to  the  strains  in  the  web  .035  feet,  or  ff  of  an  inch  ; this,  added  to  the 
deflection  due  to  the  chord  strains,  gives  for  the  total  deflection  .144  feet,  or  Iff 
inches.* 

The  unequal  expansion  of  the  wood  and  iron  in  the  structure,  under  a 
change  in  temperature,  causes  the  centre  of  the  truss  to  rise  and  fall  in  a man- 
ner similar  to  the  action  produced  by  a passing  train.  The  range  of  temperature 
at  Kansas  City  may  be  assumed  at  120°  Fahrenheit ; in  exceptional  seasons  it 
may  exceed  this,  but  only  rarely.  The  coefficient  of  expansion  of  pine  wood, 
for  one  degree  of  Fahrenheit,  is  .00000227,  and  that  of  wrought-iron  is 
.00000698  ; then  give  for  the  values  of  i and  i the  equation  given  above  : — 

i = .00000698  X 120  = .000837 

i'  = .00000227  X 120  - ^=.000272  + JL 

The  values  of  the  other  known  quantities  will  be  the  same  as  in  the  pre- 
ceding calculation.  Solving  the  equations  as  before,  we  have  for  the  effects  of 
an  increase  of  temperature  of  120°  Fahrenheit 

e — .0317  i ' = .000401 

r = 50459  d — .150  = lpjj  inches. 

The  same  increase  of  temperature  acting  upon  the  web  causes  a deflection  in 


* To  secure  strictly  accurate  results,  the  deflection  caused  in  the  top  chord  by  the  web  strains  should  be 
calculated  separately,  and  the  general  deflections  corrected  to  correspond  with  the  spreading  of  the  arch  due  to 
them  ; this  difference,  however,  is  but  slight,  and  need  not  ordinarily  be  considered. 


108 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


each  triangle  equal  to  the  difference  between  the  expansions  of  the  tie  and 
brace,  and  causing  a deflection  at  the  centre  equal  to 

140  X [-000837  - .000272]  = .079  = inches. 

The  total  deflection  caused  by  an  increase  of  temperature  of  120°  will  therefore 
be  .229  feet,  or  2|  inches.* 

The  extreme  vertical  variation  of  the  centre  of  the  span,  from  its  position 
when  unloaded  at  the  lowest  temperature,  and  when  fully  loaded  at  the  highest 
temperature,  will  not  exceed  .373  feet,  or  4|f  inches. 

The  deflections  of  the  other  spans  may  be  calculated  in  the  same  manner, 
but  will  be  less  than  the  above.  The  calculations  for  the  176  and  130  ft.  spans 
are  much  simplified  by  the  absence  of  curvature  in  the  upper  chords. 

STRAINS  IN  THE  DRAW. 

The  weight  of  the  iron  and  timber  in  the  draw  is  735,000  pounds;  the 
turn-table,  entirely  of  iron,  weighs  52,000  pounds,  leaving  for  the  weight  of  the 
trusses  and  floor  683,000  pounds.  The  length  of  each  truss  between  the  centres 
of  the  end  posts  is  359.3  ft.,  making  the  dead  load  1,901  pounds  to  the  foot;  a 
small  allowance  should  be  added  to  this  for  paint,  wire  railing,  dust,  ice,  etc., 
increasing  the  dead  load  to  1,920  pounds  per  foot,  which  leaves  a simple  ratio 
to  the  assumed  moving  load  of  2,240  pounds  to  the  foot.  The  framing  of  the 
truss  is  such  that  the  weight  should  be  transferred  to  the  turn-table  only  through 
the  centre  posts  and  cross-girders,  the  adjoining  posts  standing  outside  of  the 
turn-table  ; the  length  of  each  arm  should  therefore  be  measured  from  the 
centre  of  the  truss.  The  skew  of  the  bridge  makes  the  two  arms  of  each  truss 
of  unequal  length  ; the  greater  length,  182  feet,  will  be  considered  in  these  cal- 
culations, giving  results  which  will  be  slightly  excessive  for  the  shorter  arm. 
The  total  load  per  running  foot  on  each  truss  is  2,080  pounds,  of  which  y-g-,  or 
960  pounds,  is  dead,  and  1,120  is  variable. 


* The  noted  expansion  of  bottom  chords  from  the  coldest  day  in  January,  1870,  say  10°  below  zero,  to  the 
warmest  day  in  June,  1870,  say  104°  above  in  the  shade,  was  as  follows  : 


133  ft.  span -,2g  inches. 

200  “ “ If  “ 


250  ft.  span 1 g inches. 

177  “ “ 1-,%  “ 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


109 


The  draw  was  built  open  upon  false-works  extending  up  and  down  the 
river  ; on  the  removal  of  the  temporary  supports  it  became  a beam  balanced 
upon  its  centre,  and  the  same  circumstance  is  repeated  whenever  the  draw  is 
open.  The  top  chord  is  then  in  tension,  and  the 
bottom  chord  in  compression,  the  strains  tending  Fia  L 

to  distort  the  beam  in  the  manner  shown  in  Fig. 

1.  The  strains  are  greatest  at  the  centre,  where 
the  moment  of  flexure  is  : — 

864  2 X 960 


M 


- 15,899,520  pounds. 


and  the  moments  throughout  the  beam  will  be  proportional  to  the  external  ordi- 
nates of  a parabola.*  The  chord  strains  will  be  equal  to  the  moments  divided 
by  the  depth  of  truss,  the  central  strain  being 

— M -f-  34.3  — 463,500  pounds. 

When  the  draw  is  closed,  the  wedge-plates  are  driven  home  under  the  end 
posts,  giving  the  truss  a bearing  on  the  piers  at  each  end.  The  power  applied 
through  these  wedges  is  not  sufficient  to  lift  the  ends  of  the  draw,  but  merely  to 
bring  them  in  contact  with  the  end  supports,  and  prevent  them  from  settling 
when  a moving  load  passes.  The  whole  weight  continues,  as  before,  to  be  car- 
ried by  the  pivot  pier,  and  no  change  takes  place  in  the  strains. 

When  a train  enters  the  draw,  the  variable  load  thrown  upon  one  arm,  will 
be  borne  in  part  by  the  wedges  and  in  part  by  the  turn-table.  It  will  cause 
the  loaded  arm  to  deflect,  and  at  the  same 
time  lift  the  end  of  the  unloaded  arm  from 
its  bearing  on  the  wedges  ; the  distortions 
caused  by  these  deflections  will  be  similar  to 
those  shown  in  Fig  2,  and  will  increase  from  the  instant  the  engine  enters  the 
draw  until  the  whole  arm  is  covered  by  the  load.f 

The  strains  at  the  centre  and  in  the  unloaded  arms  remain  unchanged  ; those 
in  the  loaded  arm  become  equal  to  the  sum  of  the  strains  already  existing,  plus 


Fig  2. 


* A diagram  of  the  curves  indicating  the  Moments  in  the  Draw,  is  given  on  Plate  XII  ; the  curve  of 
Moments  in  the  Open  Draw  is  drawn  in  a plain  black  line. 

f The  passage  of  a heavy  freight  train  has  caused  the  further  end  of  the  draw  to  rise  f of  an  inch. 


110 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


the  strains  due  to  the  weight  of  the  live  load  alone,  the  latter  component  strains 
being  simply  those  caused  by  a load  of  the  given  intensity  on  an  isolated  span 
182  feet  long,  and  being  tensile  strains  in  the  lower  chord  and  compressive  in 
the  upper.  The  moment  of  flexure  at  the  centre  of  the  arm,  due  to  the  mov- 
ing load  only,  is  : — 

1822  X 1120  , 

==  4,637, 3G0  pounds. 

o 

and  the  moments  throughout  the  arm  will  be  proportional  to  the  internal  ordi- 
nates of  a parabola.*  The  resulting  moments,  the  effect  of  the  dead  and  live  load 
combined,  being  at  each  point  equal  to  the  algebraic  sum  of  the  two  moments 
already  considered,  are  negative  at  the  centre  of  the  draw,  decreasing  in  intensity, 
and  finally  becoming  positive  as  they  approach  the  end  of  the  loaded  arm.f 

As  the  train  advances  upon  the  second  arm,  this  arm  will  begin  to  deflect 
until  it  takes  a bearing  upon  the  wedges,  while  the  strain  over  the  pivot,  which 
has  hitherto  remained  unchanged,  begins  to  increase.  After  an  end  bearing  has 
been  taken  upon  the  wedges  the  second  arm  will  continue  to  deflect  at  inter- 
mediate points  until  the  entire  draw  is  loaded, 
when  the  deflection  of  the  two  arms  becomes 
symmetrical,  and  the  distortions  of  the  beam 
resemble  those  shown  in  Fig.  3.  The  strain 
over  the  pivot  does  not  attain  its  greatest  intensity  until  both  spans  are  fully 
loaded  ; it  is  then  equal  to  the  sum  of  the  effects  due  to  the  dead  load,  which 
is  carried  wholly  by  the  pivot  pier,  plus  the  effects  of  the  live  load,  which  is  dis- 
tributed according  to  the  laws  which  govern  a continuous  beam  resting  on  three 
supports.  The  moment  due  to  the  moving  load,  is  at  the  centre  the  negative  of 
that  at  the  centre  of  one  arm  when  loaded  alone,  being  equal  to 

— 4,G37,3G0  pounds.  J 

this  added  to  the  moment  due  to  the  dead  load  gives  for  the  maximum  moment 
at  the  centre 

— 20,53G,880  pounds. 


* Shown  on  the  diagram  in  a dotted  line 

f The  curve  of  these  moments  is  given  on  the  diagram  in  a broken  line 

J The  curve  of  these  moments  is  shown  on  the  diagram  in  a broken  line  — . . . — . . . — . . . — . . . 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


Ill 


Proceeding  from  the  centre  towards  either  end,  these  moments  corresponding 
to  a full  load  decrease  in  intensity  till  they  become  positive,  being  every- 
where determined  by  the  ordinates  of  a parabola. * * * § 

The  central  chord  strains  will  be  : — 

20,536,880  -f-  34.3  = 598,743  pounds. 

The  greatest  positive  moments  (compression  above  and  tension  belowr) 
occur  when  one  arm  only  is  loaded  ; the  greatest  negative  moments  over  the 
pivot  pier  occur  when  both  arms  are  fully  loaded,  and  those  at  the  centre  of 
each  arm  and  near  the  ends  of  the  draw  take  place  when  neither  arm  is  loaded. f 
The  maximum  moments  at  the  end  of  each  panel  are  given  in  the  tables  in 
Appendix  Gf,  the  values  being  obtained  by  measuring  on  a diagram  the  ordi- 
nates of  the  curves  of  strain  ; the  corresponding  chord  strains  are  likewise 
given  in  the  tables,  their  values  being  found  by  dividing  the  moments  by  the 
depth  of  truss  at  the  corresponding  point.  To  find  the  strains  which  actually 
take  place  in  the  chords,  a correction  must  be  made  for  the  strain  which  is 
carried  horizontally  by  the  members  of  the  web  ; these  corrected  strains  are 
also  given  in  the  tables,  the  tensile  strains  being  distinguished  by  a negative 
sign  ; as  the  strains  carried  horizontally  by  the  web  are  all  in  tension,  being 
carried  by  the  diagonal  ties,  the  actual  amount  of  compression  in  the  chord 
materially  predominates  over  the  tension. J 

The  web  is  formed  in  two  systems  which  are  connected  only  through  the 
chords.  As  each  system  is  supposed  to  carry  but  half  the  load,  in  calculating 
the  strains  on  their  members  the  dead  load  will  be  assumed  to  be  480  pounds 
to  the  foot,  and  the  live  load  560  pounds.  The  strain  in  each  post  will  be  the 
same  as  the  weight  carried  by  the  tie  which  depends  from  it  ;§  the  strain  in  each 
tie  is  equal  to  the  weight  carried,  multiplied  by  the  proper  coefficient  for  the 
inclination  of  the  tie. 


* Shown  on  the  diagram  in  a broken  line  — . — . — . — . — . — 

f The  resultant  curve  of  maximum  intensity  of  strain  for  all  parts  of  the  draw,  without  regard  to  the 
sign  of  the  moments,  is  drawn  on  the  diagram  in  a plain  heavy  line. 

J Strictly  speaking,  plus  the  weight  of  the  upper  chord  for  one  panel ; this  weight  however  is  small,  and 
the  calculation  need  not  be  complicated  by  it. 

§ These  corrected  chord  strains,  expressed  in  tons  of  2,000  pounds,  are  given  on  the  skeleton  diagram 
on  Plate  XII. 


112 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


When  the  draw  is  swung  or  unloaded,  each  tie  carries  the  load  between  the 
end  of  the  draw  and  the  foot  of  the  tie  next  inside.  The  strains  and  weights 
which  then  occur  are  given  in  the  tables  in  Appendix  G-. 

When  the  draw  is  closed  and  loaded,  the  pivot  pier  carries  the  entire  weight 
from  the  centre  to  that  point  on  each  arm  where  the  moment  of  flexure  has  the 
greatest  positive  value  ; this  point  is  half  way  between  the  point  of  reversal  of 
the  moments  and  the  end  of  the  draw  ; it  is  nearer  the  centre  when  only  one 
arm  is  loaded  than  when  both  arms  are  loaded.  The  strains  in  the  ties  which 
carry  this  load  to  the  central  pier  should  therefore  be  calculated  with  reference 
to  the  case  in  which  the  whole  draw  is  loaded,  and  the  strains  in  those  ties  which 
carry  this  load  towards  the  ends,  with  reference  to  the  case  in  which  but  one 
arm  is  loaded. 

When  both  arms  of  the  draw  are  loaded  the  general  equation  for  the  mo- 
ment of  flexure  is 

M = - G20  Z2  -f-  1660  l x - 1040-z2 

l being  the  length  of  one  arm  and  x the  general  abscissa.  Differentiating  : — 

= 1660  x - 2080  ,-r2 

a x 

and  the  maximum  value  of  M corresponds  to 

x = .79808  Z = 145.25. 

The  strains  in  the  ties  which  carry  this  load  towards  the  central  post  will  there- 
fore be  calculated  as  if  the  centre  of  the  truss  was  distant  145.25  feet  from  that 
post,  making  the  equivalent  length  of  span  290.5  feet. 

The  general  equation  of  the  strains  in  the  web  under  the  action  of  a 
moving  load  is 


in  which  l denotes  the  total  length  of  span,  w the  dead  load,  and  w ' the  moving 
load  per  foot.  Substituting  the  values 

(w  - 480,— w'  = 560,— and  l = 290.5 


this  becomes 


S = 69720  - .964  x 2 - 480  x 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


113 


the  value  of  x for  each  tie  being  the  assumed  length  of  beam  (290.5  feet)  minus 
the  distance  from  the  centre  post  to  the  foot  of  the  tie  next  inside.  The  strains 
in  the  ties  and  posts,  calculated  by  this  formula,  are  given  in  the  tables  in 
Appendix  G.  As  the  practical  centre  is  distant  145.25  feet  from  the  centre  post 
only  when  both  spans  are  fully  loaded,  the  results  thus  obtained  are  excessive 
for  all  but  the  centre  ties,  the  others  being  most  intensely  strained  under  a 
partial  load  when  the  practical  centre  will  be  nearer  the  centre  post  and  the 
practical  length  of  beam  less. 

When  but  one  arm  is  loaded  the  general  equation  for  the  moment  of 
flexure  is 

M = — 480  l»- f-  1520  lx  - 1040  x 2 
the  maximum  value  of  M corresponding  to 

x = .73077  l = 133. 

The  strains  in  the  ties  which  carry  their  load  to  the  end  posts  will  therefore  be 
calculated  as  if  the  centre  of  the  beam  was  distant  133  feet  from  the  centre  post, 
or  49  feet  from  the  end  post,  the  equivalent  length  of  span  being  98  feet.  Sub- 
stituting 1=  98  in  the  general  equation  for  the  web  strains,  it  becomes 

S = 23520  - 2.857  - 480  x 

the  value  of  x for  each  tie  being  the  assumed  length  of  beam  (98  feet)  minus 
the  distance  from  the  end  post  to  the  foot  of  the  next  tie  outside.  The  strain 
in  the  several  ties  and  posts,  calculated  by  this  formula,  are  also  given  in  Ap- 
pendix G.* 

The  maximum  strain  on  the  centre  post  will  be  equal  to  the  total  dead  and 
moving  load  between  the  points  145.25  feet  on  each  side  of  that  post,  except- 
ing the  half  panels  adjoining,  the  weight  of  which  is  carried  directly  by  the 
pivot.  The  strain  is  therefore 

(290.5-15.5)  X 2080  = 572,000  pounds. 

In  like  manner  the  strain  on  each  end  post  is  found  to  be 
(49-  6.25)  X 2080  = 87,800  pounds. 

* The  maximum  web  strains  expressed  in  tons  of  2,000  pounds  are  marked  on  the  skeleton  diagram  on 
Plate  XII.  The  practical  centres  used  in  calculating  these  strains  are  also  designated  on  the  same  diagram. 

15 


114 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


The  calculations  of  the  contractors,  by  which  the  draw  was  framed,  were 
made  on  the  supposition  that  each  arm  acts  as  an  isolated  truss  when  the  draw 
is  closed  ; the  panel  ties  are  therefore  of  the  same  size  at  the  centre  and  ends 
of  the  draw.  To  make  the  actual  strains  agree  with  these  calculations,  the 
lifting  jacks  placed  under  the  end  posts  must  carry  one-half  the  weight  when 
the  draw  is  fully  loaded,  the  weight  carried  by  each  jack  being 

91  X 2080  = 189,280  pounds. 

The  weight  carried  by  each  end  bearing,  under  the  present  arrangement  of 
wedge  plates,  is 

(182  - 145.25)  X 2080  =i  76,440  pounds. 

making  the  weight  which  would  actually  be  lifted  by  the  jacks  under  each 
post,  after  closing  the  draw,  112,840  pounds. 


CHAPTER  YIII 


COST  OF  THE  WORK. 

The  cost  of  the  bridge  across  the  river,  and  of  the  approaches,  as  well  as 
of  the  works  incidental  to  its  protection,  and  necessary  to  secure  the  perma- 
nency of  the  channel  at  this  point,  have  been  as  follows  to  date  (July  1,  1870)  : 

BRIDGE  ACROSS  THE  RIVER. 


FOUNDATIONS. 

Foundation  South  Abutment,  on  Rock $458  51 

“ Shore  pillars,  “ 100  00 

“ Pier  No.  1,  “ 14,184  85 

“ “ No.  2 (Pivot),  “ 22,214  00 

“ “ No.  3,  “ 26,150  30 

“ “ No.  4,  “ 79,695  17 

“ “ No.  5,  piles  to  rock,  37,873  05 

“ “ No.  6,  on  piles,  15,654  00 

“ North  Abutment,  “ 4,707  64 

$201,037  52 

MASONRY. 

6,612  Cubic  yards  in  Piers  and  Abutments $116,023  10 

3,102  “ “ Concrete  in  foundations 31,470  00 

352  “ “ Rubble  Masonry  in  foundation 3,168  90 

5,795  “ “ Riprap  around  Piers 24,429  75 

$175,091  75 

DRAW  PROTECTION. 

Crib,  upper  draw  rest,  below  low-water  line $14,109  81 

Caisson,  lower  draw  rest,  “ “ “ “ 15,013  70 

Upper  works  of  above  and  intermediate  cribs  and  trusses 54,006  58 

Pontoon  protection  for  boats  at  Pier  No.  1 13,207  53 

$96,337  62 


Brought  forward $472,466  89 


116 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


Carried  forward 


$472,406  89 


OUTFIT. 


Cost  Steamer  Gypsey $12,933  G9 

Less  proceed  of  sales 4,000  00 


Cost  of  barges  and  boats $13,949  67 

Less  transferred  to  pontoons 6,000  00 


Tools,  machinery,  and  equipment $54,881  86 

Less  proceed  of  sales 9,073  53 


Use  of  buildings,  shanties,  etc 


MISCELLANEOUS  EXPENSES. 

Engineering 

Soundings  and  borings  in  the  river 

Superintendence  and  inspection 

Office  expenses 

Incidental  expenses 

Boating,  ferriage,  and  cutting  ice 

Contingencies  (being  cost  of  works  of  first  caisson  for  Pier  No.  4, 
up  to  the  time  of  its  wreck) 


SUPERSTRUCTURE. 

Iron  Span,  No.  1,  71  feet 

Wood  and  Iron,  No.  2,  133  “ 

Iron  Draw,  No.  3,  3G0  “ 

Wood  and  Iron,  No.  4,  200  “ 

“ “ No.  5,  250  “ 

“ “ No.  6,  200  “ 

“ “ No.  7,  177  “ 

Nicholson  pavement,  sidewalks,  and  hand-railing 

Covering  chords  and  painting  bridge 

Toll-houses,  telegraph  lines,  etc 

False-works  for  raising  superstructure, 

Street  rail  track  on  bridge 


Total  cost  of  bridge  proper 

APPROACHES  AND  RIVER  PROTECTION. 

Southern  Approach  (Kansas  City  side) 

Northern  Approach  (including  trestle) 

Depot  grounds 

Px'otection  of  river  bank 


$8,933  69 


$7,949  G7 


$45,808  33 
2,453  22 

$65,144  91 

$23,269  00 
3,224  71 
14,855  10 
1,866  87 
3,880  25 
53,039  35 

12,339  01 

$112,474  29 

$5,335  98 
9,183  38 
78,054  50 
18,639  14 
27,316  42 
18,639  14 
15,126  70 
28,730  96 
7,918  47 
2,503  91 
21,142  87 
3,494  22 

$236,085  69 


$886,171  78 


$63,340  09 
51,723  22 
1,003  68 
90,938  81 

$207,005  80 


Total  expenditure 


$1,093,177  58 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


117 


It  will  be  noted  from  the  above,  that  the  cost  of  the  bridge  proper  was 
$886,171.78,  or  $637.08  per  lineal  foot.  While  this  does  not  materially  differ 
in  the  aggregate  from  the  cost  of  similar  structures  over  the  Mississippi  River, 
yet  the  cost  per  running  foot  is  nearly  twice  as  great,  in  consequence  of  the 
deep  and  difficult  nature  of  the  foundations,  and  the  greatly  increased  height 
of  the  piers. 

If,  however,  the  cost  be  referred,  as  is  sometimes  done,  to  the  area  enclosed 
between  the  top  of  the  bridge  superstructure,  and  the  bottom  of  its  foundations, 
it  will  be  found',  that  as  this  cross  section  measures  147,020  square  feet,  the 
cost  has  been  $6.03  per  square  foot  of  the  area  so  enclosed,  which  will  compare 
favorably  with  similar  works. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  all  the  foundations  have  been  put  in  for  a 
double-track  bridge,  up  to  low  water,  so  that  in  the  not  improbable  event  that 
the  traffic  shall  require  it,  the  capacity  of  the  bridge  can  be  doubled  at  no  very 
great  cost. 

No  separate  account  was  kept  of  the  additional  cost  occasioned  by  the 
accommodation  of  the  roadway  to  the  wagon  traffic,  but  it  may  be  stated  in 
round  numbers  at  about  $40,000. 

It  is  not  expected  that  any  further  expenditures  will  be  required  for  the 
next  ten  or  fifteen  years,  save  for  the  maintenance  of  the  river  protection,  upon 
which  depends  the  permanence  of  the  river  bank  and  channel,  as  well  as  the 
harbor  at  Kansas  City,  and  for  the  renewal  of  the  upper  works  of  the  draw  pro- 
tection, which  are  of  wood. 

The  wood  and  iron  combination  of  the  fixed  spans  being  experimental,  so 
far  as  duration  is  concerned,  there  are  no  data  at  hand  upon  which  to  pre- 
dicate an  estimate  of  their  life.  It  may  be  stated,  however,  that  a superstructure 
all  of  iron  would  have  cost  $72,000  more,  and  that  as  all  the  wooden  parts  can  be 
replaced  for  $23,000,  it  follows  that  the  compound  interest  alone  at  7 per  cent, 
upon  the  sum  saved,  will  renew  all  the  perishable  portions  of  the  superstructure 
with  wood  every  four  years,  while  at  the  end  of  fifteen  years  it  would  be  suffi- 
cient to  renew  them  all  with  iron. 

It  is  believed  that  the  combination  adopted,  and  the  pains  which  have  been 
taken  for  its  preservation,  may  insure  for  it  even  a longer  life  than  this. 


118 


TIIE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


Wooden  bridges  well  housed  in,  have  been  known  to  last  sixty  and  even  a hun- 
dred years,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  wooden  parts  of  this  may  endure,  with 
occasional  repairs,  even  twenty  or  thirty  years.  This  point,  however,  must  be 
decided  by  the  sole  test  of  experience. 

The  following  is  a synopsis  of  the  materials  in  the  superstructure  : 


Timber 

in 

floor  of  iron  span 

. 71  feet 

7,684 

F.  B. 

CC 

CC 

truss,  etc 

.133  “ 

35,739 

CC 

CC 

cc 

pivot  span 

. 360  “ 

26,025 

cc 

cc 

cc 

truss,  etc 

.250  “ 

101,688 

cc 

cc 

cc 

“ “ 2 spans 

.200  “ 

156,430 

cc 

cc 

cc 

CC  CC 

.177  “ 

57,854 

cc 

cc 

cc 

roofing  and  flooring 

210,876 

cc 

cc 

cc 

vertical  bracing 

8,202 

cc 

Total  timber 

604,498 

cc 

Wrought 

iron  in  iron  span 

71  feet 

32,165 

lbs. 

CC 

“ “ truss 

. 133  “ 

44,053 

CC 

cc 

“ pivot  span 

. 360  “ 

495,575 

cc 

cc 

“ truss 

. 250  “ 

147,432 

cc 

cc 

“ “ 2 spans 

.200  “ 

178,898 

cc 

cc 

CC  CC 

. 177  “ 

72,969 

cc 

cc 

“ anchor  rods,  pins,  etc.  . 

cc 

Total  wrought  iron 978,292 


Castings  in  iron  span 

“ “ truss 

“ “ pivot  span 

“ “ truss 

“ “ “ 2 spans 

cc  cc  cc 

“ “ anchors,  braces,  etc. 


71  feet 4,328  lbs. 


133  “ 

27,138 

CC 

360  “ 

122,041 

cc 

250  “ 

70,646 

cc 

200  “ 

108,238 

.c 

177  “ 

49,491 

cc 

1,700 

cc 

Total  cast-iron 383,582 

The  position  of  Kansas  City,  being  as  it  were  on  the  frontier,  made  skilled 
labor  both  expensive  and  difficult  to  obtain  during  the  first  year.  After  this 
time,  the  increasing  population  of  the  town,  and  the  attention  attracted  by  these 
works,  furnished  all  that  was  required. 

The  following  were  the  average  wages  paid  : 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


119 


Superintendents  of  departments from 

Foremen  blacksmiths,  carpenters,  and  laborers . “ 

Blacksmiths “ 

Helpers “ 

Carpenters “ 

Stone-cutters  and  masons “ 

Laborers “ 

Pile-drivers  and  boatmen 


$200  to  $250  per  month. 
3 75  “ 5 00  per  day. 

3 50  “ 3 75  “ 

2 50  *•  2 75  “ 

3 00  “ 3 25  “ 

4 50  “ 5 50  “ 

2 00  “ 2 25  “ 

2 25  “ 2 50  “ 


The  following  were  the  leading  prices  of  materials  : 


Oak  timber  and  plank 

Pine  lumber 

Cotton-wood  lumber 

Piles,  oak,  elm,  and  sycamore 

Bar  iron 

Cast  iron,  to  order 

Bolts,  and  miscellaneous  iron  work 

Hydraulic  cement 

Riprap  stone 


$35  to  $40  per  M.  B.  M. 

45  “ 60  “ 

. 20  “ 25  “ 

. 15  cts.  to  25  cts.  per  foot. 
“ “ 4|  “ per  lb. 

6 “ “8  “ “ 

6 “ “ 15  “ 

$3  25  “ $3  75  per  bbl. 

2 00  “ 2 50  per  c.  yd. 


Upon  looking  back  over  the  methods  adopted  for  founding  each  pier,  and 
the  general  plans  which  were  carried  out,  the  engineers  see  no  reason  to  alter 
their  judgment  of  the  appropriateness  of  each  to  the  particular  location  selected. 
Yet  they  are  conscious  of  many  possible  changes  and  improvements  in  the  details 
which  would  have  materially  hastened  and  cheapened  the  work. 

Thus,  at  Pier  No.  1,  it  would  still  be  wished  to  sink  a bottomless  caisson, 
protected  by  a water  deadener,  and  lay  bare  the  rock  ; but  a yielding  cushion 
fastened  to  the  lower  edge,  would  probably  enable  the  making  of  a water-tight 
joint  with  much  less  time  and  expense. 

At  Pier  No.  2,  it  is  still  thought  judicious  to  found  in  one  mass,  and  to 
make  the  current  perform  the  excavation  ; but  the  device  alluded  to  above,  and 
the  hanging  of  the  false  bottom  lower  down,  would  probably  have  avoided  the 
cone  of  sand  which  remained  on  the  rock,  causing  great  delay  and  expense  ; 
and  it  might  have  been  possible  to  lay  bare  the  rock. 

At  Piers  Nos.  3 and  5,  greater  weight  given  to  the  caissons  would 
undoubtedly  have  hastened  their  descent,  and  lessened  the  amount  of  the 
excavation. 

At  Pier  No.  4,  the  most  expensive  of  all,  the  plans  would  not  be  materially 


120 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE. 


changed  ; but  details  would  be  altered,  so  that  the  pier  could  be  built,  and  the 
foundation  completed  much  more  rapidly  than  it  was. 

At  Piers  Nos.  G and  7,  the  plans  would  not  be  materially  changed. 

All  the  delays,  difficulties  and  failures  which  took  place  were  directly  owing 
to  the  violence  of  the  current,  and  its  capacity  for  rapid  scour.  The  precautions 
and  watchfulness  which  these  required,  both  by  night  and  by  day,  were  endless, 
and  not  always  successful. 

The  moods  of  the  river  were  constantly  changing,  and  its  bottom  and 
banks  of  most  unstable  regimen,  thus  causing  no  little  anxiety  and  expense, 
while  the  absence  of  precedents  in  this  kind  of  work,  in  this  country,  left  the 
engineers  to  depend  mostly  upon  their  own  resources. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  imperfect  relation  of  the  experience  acquired  upon 
this  novel  work  may  be  of  profit  to  others  engaged  in  similar  undertakings. 


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APPENDIX. 


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APPENDIX  A. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  AN  ACT  TO  INCORPORATE  THE  KANSAS  CITY,  GALVESTON,  AND  LAKE 

SUPERIOR  RAILROAD  COMPANY. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  as  follows  : 

Sec.  1.  That  a Company  is  hereby  incorporated,  to  be  called  the  Kansas  City, 
Galveston,  and  Lake  Superior  Railroad  Company,  the  stock  whereof  shall  be  six  millions 
of  dollars,  to  be  divided  into  shares  of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  the  holders  whereof, 
their  successors  or  assigns,  shall  constitute  and  be  a body  corporate  and  politic,  in  law 
and  in  fact,  by  the  name  and  style  aforesaid,  and  by  that  name  shall  have  perpetual 
succession ; may  sue  and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  defend  and  be  defended  against ; 
may  make  and  use  a common  seal,  and  break  and  change  the  same,  and  shall  be  able, 
in  law  and  equity,  to  make  contracts ; may  make,  hold,  use,  possess,  and  enjoy  the  fee- 
simple,  or  other  titles,  in  and  to  any  real  estate,  and  may  sell  and  dispose  of  the  same  ; 
may  make  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations  proper  for  carrying  into  effect  the  provisions  of 
this  Act,  not  repugnant  to  the  Constitution  or  laws  of  the  United  States,  or  of  this  State, 
and  shall  have  the  usual  and  necessary  powers  of  corporation  for  such  purposes. 

******  * * * * 

§ 7.  Said  Company  shall  have  full  power  to  survey,  mark,  locate,  construct,  maintain, 
and  operate  a railroad  from  the  City  of  Kansas,  in  Jackson  County,  by  the  most  direct 
and  practicable  route  in  the  direction  of  Galveston,  in  the  State  of  Texas,  or  to  intersect 
any  road  or  roads  now  being  constnicted,  or  to  be  constructed,  by  the  States  of  Texas  or 
Arkansas,  or  by  any  company  or  companies,  which  are  or  may  be  chartered  by  either  or 
both  of  said  States ; also,  to  construct  said  railroad  north  from  the  City  of  Kansas, 
or  from  the  north  bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  opposite  said  City  of  Kansas,  by  the  most 
direct  and  practicable  route  to  the  north  boundary  of  the  State,  in  the  direction  of  Fon 
du  Lac  on  Lake  Superior ; and  for  that  purpose  may  hold  a strip  of  land  not  exceeding 
one  hundred  feet  in  width,  with  as  many  tracks  as  the  said  President  and  Directors  may 
deem  necessary ; Provided,  that  in  passing  hills  or  valleys,  the  said  Company  are  author- 
ized to  extend  said  width,  in  order  to  effect  said  object,  and  may,  also,  hold  sufficient 
land  for  the  erection  of  depots,  warehouses,  and  water  stations,  and  may  select  such 
route  as  may  be  deemed  most  advantageous,  and  may  extend  branch  railroads  to  any 
point  in  any  of  the  counties  through  which  the  said  railroad  may  be  located. 

***  ******* 

§ 11.  Said  Company  may  build  said  road  along  or  across  any  State  or  county  road, 
or  street  or  wall  of  any  town  or  city,  or  over  any  stream  or  highway ; but  whenever 


124 


APPENDIX. 


said  railroad  shall  cross  any  State  or  county  road,  said  Company  shall  keep  good  and 
sufficient  causeways  or  other  adequate  facilities  for  crossing  the  same  ; and  said  railroad 
shall  not  be  so  constructed  as  to  prevent  the  public  from  using  any  street,  road,  or  high- 
way, along  or  across  which  it  may  pass  ; and  when  said  railroad  shall  be  built  across  any 
navigable  stream,  said  Company  shall  erect  a bridge  sufficiently  high  on  which  to  cross, 
or  shall  construct  a drawbridge,  so  that  in  no  case  shall  the  free  navigation  of  such 
stream  be  obstructed.  When  any  person  shall  own  land  on  both  sides  of  said  road,  said 
Company,  when  required  so  to  do,  shall  make,  and  keep  in  good  repair,  one  causeway  or 
other  adequate  means  of  crossing  the  same. 

***  * ****** 

§ 16.  Said  Company  shall  have  power  to  extend,  construct,  maintain,  and  operate 
their  said  railroad  or  branches,  beyond  the  limits  of  this  State,  and  are  hereby  authorized 
to  make  contracts  for  the  same,  and  shall  have  power  to  contract  for,  and  construct,  all 
necessary  bridges  over  navigable  streams,  so  the  same  may  in  nowise  interfere  with 
the  free  navigation  of  the  same. 

* * * * * * * * * * 

This  Act  to  take  effect,  and  be  in  force,  from  and  after  its  passage. 

Approved  February  9,  1857. 


APPENDIX  B. 


AN  ACT  TO  INCORPORATE  THE  KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE  COMPANY. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  as  follows : 

Sec.  1.  That  B.  T.  Van  Horn,  M.  J.  Paine,  A.  J.  Lloyd,  and  David  E.  James,  their 
associates,  assigns,  and  successors,  are  hereby  constituted  a body  .corporate  and  politic, 
by  the  name  of  the  Kansas  City  Bridge  Company,  and  shall  have  the  exclusive  right  and 
privilege  of  constructing  a bridge  at  or  near  the  City  of  Kansas,  over  and  across  the 
Missouri  Biver,  for  the  term  of  twenty  years,  and  no  other  person  or  company  whatsoever 
shall  construct  any  other  bridge  for  or  within  the  distance  of  one  mile  from  said  bridge 
during  the  term  of  said  twenty  years,  and  said  Company,  by  their  corporate  name,  shall 
be  capable  in  law  of  purchasing,  taking,  holding,  using,  selling,  pledging,  conveying,  and 
disposing  of  real  estate  or  other  property,  whether  personal  or  mixed,  so  far  as  the  same 
may  be  necessary  for  the  purposes  herein  mentioned ; may  have  a common  seal,  may  sue 
and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  defend  and  be  defended  against,  contract  and  be 
contracted  with ; may  make  such  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations,  appoint  such  officers, 
agents,  and  servants,  and  generally  do  all  such  acts  and  things  not  inconsistent  with  the 
laws  and  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  of  the  United  States,  as  may  be 
requisite  and  proper  for  the  due  execution  and  management  of  the  work  herein  proposed 
to  be  done  and  for  conducting  the  business  of  said  Company. 

§ 2.  All  the  powers  of  said  corporation  shall  be  exercised  by  a board  of  directors  and 
such  officers  and  agents  as  they  may  elect  and  appoint.  Said  board  shall  consist  of  nine 
directors,  who  shall  be  elected  annually  by  a majority  in  interest  of  the  stockholders, 
present  and  voting,  in  person  or  by  proxy,  at  such  time  and  place  as  shall  be  prescribed 
by  the  by-laws,  and  who  shall  hold  their  offices  until  their  successors  are  elected  and 
qualified.  Previous  to  such  election  the  corporators  herein  named  shall  constitute  the 
board  of  directors,  three  of  whom  shall  constitute  a quorum  to  do  business.  They  may 
at  any  time  after  the  passage  of  this  Act  cause  books  to  be  opened  for  subscriptions  to 
the  capital  stock  of  the  said  Company  at  such  times  and  places,  and  in  such  manner,  as 
may  be  by  them  prescribed. 

§ 3.  The  capital  stock  of  said  Company  shall  be  one  million  of  dollars,  which  shall 
be  divided  into  ten  thousand  shares  of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  and  when  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  shall  be  subscribed  the  corporators  shall  call  a meeting  of  the 
stockholders  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a board  of  directors,  at  such  time  and  place  as 


126 


APPENDIX. 


they  may  fix  and  appoint,  of  which  election  thirty  days  notice  shall  be  given  in  a news- 
paper published  in  the  City  of  Kansas. 

§ 4.  The  said  Company  shall  have  the  same  power  to  condemn  and  acquire  title  to 
lands  necessary  for  the  construction  of  said  bridge  and  for  the  approaches  to  it  from 
public  highways,  and  the  same  power  to  take  materials  from  lands  in  the  neighborhood 
for  the  construction  thereof,  compensating  the  owners  thereof,  and  the  proceedings 
therein  shall  be  conducted  in  the  same  manner  as  is  provided  in  the  Act  to  authorize  the 
formation  of  railroad  associations  and  to  regulate  the  same,  approved  December  13, 
1855,  and  the  said  Company  shall  also  have  the  right  to  protect  the  banks  of  the  river 
above  and  below  the  bridge,  so  far  as  may  be  necessary  to  keep  the  channel  within  the 
openings  of  the  bridge  for  the  passage  of  vessels,  and  for  that  purpose  to  acquire,  con- 
demn, and  take  lands  and  materials  in  the  manner  aforesaid. 

§ 5.  The  said  bridge  shall  be  constructed  so  as  not  to  prevent  the  passage  of  steam- 
boats or  other  vessels  in  the  navigation  of  said  river,  and  said  bridge  may  be  built  so  as 
to  admit  a railroad  track  for  the  passage  of  cars  and  trains,  as  well  as  for  a common 
wagon  way,  and  for  a foot  passenger  way.  It  shall  be  properly  attended  and  managed, 
so  as  to  afford  safe  and  easy  passage  for  all  persons  and  property,  and  every  railroad 
train  drawn  by  steam  power  shall,  on  approaching  said  bridge,  stop  its  speed  and  come 
to  a stand-still  on  the  bank  before  entering  upon  the  passage  of  the  bridge. 

§ 6.  When  said  bridge  is  completed  the  said  Company  shall  be  entitled  to  demand 
and  receive  tolls  for  crossing  the  same,  and  to  fix  the  rates  of  toll,  of  which  a schedule 
shall  be  kept  conspicuously  posted  at  each  end  of  the  bridge,  which  rates  shall  be  as 
follows,  and  shall  never  exceed  the  same,  to  wit  : For  each  foot  passenger,  five  cents ; 
for  every  person  on  horseback,  twenty  cents ; for  every  gig,  buggy,  or  other  travelling 
carriage,  drawn  by  one  animal,  forty  cents  ; for  every  cart  oi  wagon  drawn  by  one  animal, 
forty  cents ; for  every  wagon  or  cart  drawn  by  two  animals,  sixty  cents ; for  every  cart  or 
wagon  drawn  by  three  animals,  eighty  cents  ; for  every  cart  or  wagon  drawn  by  four 
animals,  one  hundred  cents ; for  every  cart  or  wagon  drawn  by  more  than  four  animals, 
ten  cents  extra  for  each  animal  ; for  every  pleasure  carriage  drawn  by  two  animals,  sixty 
cents ; for  every  pleasure  carriage  drawn  by  four  animals  or  more,  one  hundred  cents  ; 
for  each  head  of  cattle,  horses,  mules,  or  other  working  animal,  ten  cents  ; for  each  head 
of  sheep  or  swine,  three  cents  ; and  said  bridge  company  may  permit  any  railroad  com- 
pany to  extend  their  railroad  track  over  said  bridge  upon  such  terms  as  may  be  agreed 
upon  by  said  bridge  company  and  such  railroad  companies. 

§ 7.  The  corporation  hereby  created  shall  be  exempt  from  the  operation  of  sections 
six,  thirteen,  fourteen,  fifteen,  sixteen,  eighteen  and  twenty,  of  article  one  of  “ An  Act  con- 
cerning Corporations,”  approved  November  23,  1855. 

§ 8.  For  the  purposes  of  taxation,  all  property  owned  by  this  corporation  shall  be  taken 


APPENDIX. 


127 


and  deemed  as  personal  property,  in  the  shape  of  stock  in  the  hands  of  stockholders,  and 
the  same  shall  be  assessed  and  taxed  as  stock  only. 

§ 9.  All  acts  and  parts  of  acts  whatsoever,  inconsistent  or  in  conflict  with  the  provi- 
sions of  this  act,  are  hereby  repealed. 

§ 10.  This  act  shall  be  taken  as  a public  act,  and  shall  be  in  force  from  and  after  its 
passage. 


Approved  February  20,  1865. 


APPENDIX  C. 


AN  ACT  TO  AMEND  AN  ACT  ENTITLED  “AN  ACT  TO  INCORPORATE  THE  KANSAS  CITY, 
GALVESTON,  AND  LAKE  SUPERIOR  RAILROAD  COMPANY,’'  APPROVED  FEBRUARY  9,  1857. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  as  follows  : 

Sec.  1.  That  any  deed  of  trust  thereafter  to  be  made  and  executed  by  said  Railroad 
Company,  now  known  as  the  Kansas  City  and  Cameron  Railroad  Company,  to  secure  the 
payment  of  bonds  sold  or  to  be  sold  by  it  to  procure  money  for  the  completion  of  its 
road  and  appurtenances,  shall  be  a valid  lien  upon  all  property  described  in  said  deed  of 
trust,  and  upon  the  entire  line  of  said  road  and  its  appurtenances  and  franchises,  although 
the  said  property  might  not  have  been  obtained  or  said  road  completed  at  the  time  of 
the  execution  of  said  mortgage  or  deed  of  trust ; and  the  said  bonds  to  be  issued  there- 
under may  bear  such  rate  of  interest,  and  be  sold  for  such  price,  as  may  be  deemed 
expedient  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  said  Company,  and  it  shall  be  competent  and 
lawful  for  the  said  Company  to  make  and  enter  into  such  contract  with  the  trustees  in 
such  deed  of  trust  as  will  secure  the  just  and  true  application  of  all  moneys  raised  under 
it,  and  of  all  other  funds  of  the  Company,  to  the  work  of  construction  of  said  railroad, 
and  to  secure  the  same  under  said  deed  of  trust  as  a security  for  the  payment  of  said 
bonds. 

Sec.  2.  It  shall  be  lawful  and  competent  for  said  Company  to  make  such  arrange- 
ment with  any  other  railroad  company  to  furnish  equipments,  and  to  run  and  manage  its 
railroad,  as  it  may  deem  expedient  and  find  necessary,  or  to  lease  the  same,  or  to  con- 
solidate it  with  any  other  company  upon  such  terms  as  may  be  deemed  just  and 
proper. 

Sec.  3.  For  the  purpose  of  adding  to  the  safety  of  its  bonded  debt,  it  shall  be  compe- 
tent and  lawful  for  the  holders  of  its  bonds  to  vote  at  all  elections  of  the  Company,  and 
to  be  represented  at  all  meetings  of  the  stockholders,  and  vote  either  in  person  or  by  proxy. 
The  holder  of  each  one  hundred  dollars  of  such  bonds  shall  be  entitled  to  the  same  vote 
and  representation  as  the  holders  of  each  one  hundred  dollars  of  stock  of  said  Company  ; 
and  it  shall  be  competent  and  lawful  for  said  Company  to  provide  for  a registration  of 
such  bonds  in  such  manner  that  they  may  be  made  payable  to  order,  and  the  circulation 
restricted  at  the  pleasure  of  each  holder  ; and  such  rules  and  regulations  shall  be  made 
by  the  said  Board  of  Directors  as  will  accomplish  this  object,  and  to  secure  the  safety  of 
said  bonds  as  may  thus  be  possible  against  theft  or  other  losses  thereof. 


APPENDIX. 


129 


Sec.  4.  The  said  Railroad  Company  shall  have  the  same  authority,  rights  and 
powers  as  are  conferred  upon  the  Kansas  City  Bridge  Company,  incorporated  by  an  Act 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  Feb.  20,  1865,  and  may,  in  connection  with  its  railroad 
bridge,  erect  a bridge  for  the  passage  of  teams,  carriages,  and  foot  passengers,  and  shall 
have  the  same  right  and  authority  to  receive  compensation  therefor  as  are  granted  to 
the  said  Kansas  City  Bridge  Company ; and  all  railroad  companies  whose  roads  shall 
terminate  at  or  near  such  bridge  on  either  side  of  the  Missouri  River,  or  which  shall 
construct  a branch  road  to  such  bridge,  shall  have  the  right  to  run  their  cars  and  engines 
on  and  over  such  bridge,  at  such  times  and  on  such  terms  as  may  be  agreed  on  between 
the  companies,  respectively  ; and  if  such  companies  shall  not  agree  on  such  terms,  then  on 
such  terms  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  the  Governor  of  this  State. 

Sec.  5.  The  North  Missouri  Railroad  Company  shall  have  the  privilege  of  laying 
their  track  over  the  right  of  way  of  the  Kansas  City  and  Cameron  Railroad  Company, 
where  it  passes  the  bluff  at  Randolph,  on  the  Missouri  River,  and  thence  to  a point  on 
said  river  opposite  to  the  City  of  Kansas,  upon  condition  that  the  said  Company  shall 
not  lay  their  track  within  nine  feet  of  or  in  any  manner  so  as  to  interfere  with  the  Kansas 
City  and  Cameron  railroad  track  as  at  present  located  ; nor  shall  it  cross  the  said  track 
until  within  half  a mile  of  the  railroad  bridge  now  in  course  of  construction  at  the  City  of 
Kansas,  unless  the  two  companies  otherwise  agree  ; and  in  case  the  North  Missouri 
Railroad  Company  do  not  construct  and  terminate  their  road  at  the  City  of  Kansas,  they 
shall  pay  the  Kansas  City  and  Cameron  Railroad  Company  a just  valuation  of  the  right 
of  way  aforesaid,  which  value,  if  not  mutually  agreed  to,  shall  be  determined  by  three 
railroad  experts,  each  company  to  select  one,  and  the  two  so  chosen  to  select  the  third  ; 
or  in  case  the  two  companies  shall  agree  to  the  joint  use  of  the  track  of  the  Kansas  City 
and  Cameron  Railroad,  from  their  eastern  intersection  to  the  City  of  Kansas,  but  shall 
disagree  as  to  the  annual  compensation  to  be  paid  the  said  Kansas  City  and  Cameron 
Railroad  Company  for  the  use  of  their  track,  then  the  amount  to  be  so  paid  by  the  North 
Missouri  Railroad  Company  shall  be  determined  by  three  railroad  experts,  to  be  chosen 
as  provided,  in  case  of  disagreement  as  to  right  of  way. 

This  Act  to  take  effect,  and  be  in  force,  from  and  after  its  passage. 


Approved  March  11, 1867. 


17 


130 


APPENDIX. 


Q 

X 

i— i 

Q 

rVl 

h—i 

Ph 

Ph 


132 


APPENDIX, 


APPENDIX  E 


Tables  showing  Progress  of  Sinking  Pier  No.  4,  with  Sounding, 


Date. 

| Shift. 

Hours  Work  of  Dredges. 

Cubic 

Yards 

Exca- 

vated. 

Reading  of  Gauges. 

Depth 

Sunk. 

Eleva- 

tion 

Cut’ng 

Edge. 

1 

3 

3 

4 

Total. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

G 

7 

8 

Aver. 

Dec.  28 

Day. 

4% 

4 

4 

4^ 

17 

20 

.... 

18" 

U 

29 

44 

% 

7 

7% 

73-3 

29% 

50 

20.6 

20.8 

21. 

21 

21. 

21.1 

21. 

21  3 

20  98 

6% 

88  02 

( ( 

30. 

“ 

8 

6 

0 

4 

18 

35 

21. 

21.3 

21.45 

21.4 

21.3 

21.35 

21.25 

21  3 

21  29 

7 

87.71 

u 

31. 

! 44 

7 

7% 

3 

0 

17% 

20 

21.6 

21.9 

21.7 

21.6 

21.3 

21.35 

21.25 

21.75 

21  57 

3% 

87.43 

Jan.  3. 

“ 

6 

0 

7% 

5 

18% 

58 

22  8 

23. 

23  35 

23.5 

23  5 

23  5 

23.6 

23.75 

23  37 

20 

85  63 

u 

2. 

44 

4 

5 

0 

0 

9 

18 

23.7 

23  7 

23.7 

23.6 

23.5 

23.6 

23.9 

23.9 

23.7 

4 

85  3 

u 

4. 

“ 

10 

10 

7 

9 

.36 

120 

26. 

26  2 

26 

25  7 

25.35 

25  7 

25.8 

26.1 

25.86 

26 

83  14 

a 

4. 

Night 

7% 

5 

6 

6% 

25% 

90 

27  25 

27.6 

27.55 

27.5 

27  2 

27  4 

27.44 

27.45 

27.42 

18% 

81.58 

u 

5. 

Day. 

4 

3 

11 

2 

20 

56 

28  55 

28.75 

28.5 

28.2 

27  9 

28  2 

28.4 

28  65 

28  41 

11% 

80.59 

a 

5. 

Night 

9 

9% 

8 

7% 

33% 

100 

29.9 

30.2 

30  25 

30.25 

30  05 

30.2 

30.25 

30.15 

30.16 

21 

78  84 

u 

6. 

Day. 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

.... 

0 

i ( 

6. 

Night 

4% 

3% 

4% 

4% 

17% 

65 

31  1 

31  3 

31  43 

31.47 

31.23 

31.35 

31.35 

31.25 

31.31 

13% 

77.69 

u 

7. 

Day. 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

.... 

9 

u 

8. 

44 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

.... 

.... 

.... 

0 

u 

9. 

44 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

.... 

..... 

.... 

0 

u 

11. 

44 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

31.4 

31.75 

31,8 

31  6 

31.63 

31.6 

31.55 

31.62 

3% 

77.38 

u 

12. 

<< 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

4 t 

13. 

.< 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

31.65 

31.8 

31.9 

32. 

31.8 

31.75 

31.75 

31.65 

31.79 

1% 

77  21 

a 

13. 

Night 

5% 

3% 

4 % 

2 

15% 

67 

32.95 

33.05 

33  05 

33  05 

32.85 

32.75 

32.75 

32  8 

32.91 

13% 

76.09 

4 t 

14. 

44 

5% 

5% 

5 A 

5% 

22 

55 

33  85 

33.9 

33  95 

33.95 

33.85 

33.8 

33.85 

33.8 

33  87 

11% 

75.13 

4 4 

15. 

4 4 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

33.85 

33.9 

34. 

34. 

33.9 

33.85 

33  85 

33.85 

33.9 

0 

75.1 

44 

10. 

“ 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

.... 

.... 

.... 



0 

44 

17. 

44 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

.... 

.... 

0 

.... 

44 

18. 

44 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

.... 

0 

44 

19, 

44 

3% 

4 

4% 

4% 

16% 

85 

35.4 

35.43 

35  37 

35.25 

35.2 

35  15 

35  3 

35.4 

35  31 

17 

73.69 

44 

20. 

44 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

36.37 

36  4 

36.35 

36  25 

36.2 

36  15 

36  3 

36.35 

36.3 

11% 

72.7 

44 

21. 

44 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

36.4 

36.45 

36.5 

36  45 

36.4 

36.35 

36  4 

36.4 

36.42 

1% 

72.58 

» 4 

22. 

“ 

0 

0 

0 

12 

12 

40 

.... 

0 

44 

23.' 

Day. 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

36.8 

36  8 

36.9 

36  85 

36.85 

36.85 

36.85 

36.8 

36  83 

5% 

72.17 

44 

23. 1 

Night 

4 

8 

5% 

4 

21% 

70 

38.1 

38.05 

37  9 

37.75 

37.85 

37  6 

37.85 

38  05 

37.75 

12% 

71.25 

44 

25.1 

U 

0 

7 

7 

5% 

19% 

56 

38  5 

38.45 

38.5 

38  45 

38  5 

38  5 

38.5 

38.45 

38.47 

9 

70.51 

44 

26. 

44 

2 

3 

3 

1 

9 

50 

39  3 

39  3 

39  27 

39.17 

39.25 

39  1 

39  25 

39.3 

39.23 

9 

69.77 

44 

27. 

“ 

6 

6% 

7 

3% 

25 

150 

41.7 

41.75 

41.8 

41.7 

41.82 

41  73 

41.82 

41.8 

41  75 

30% 

67.25 

44 

28. 

44 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

44 

29. 

44 

3% 

4 

4 

3 

14% 

90 

43  35 

43. 

43.1 

42.95 

43.1 

43.25 

43.1 

43.1 

43.11 

16% 

65  89 

“ 

30.1 

44 

2% 

3 

3% 

3 

11% 

85 

43.9 

43  97 

44.05 

44.05 

44.1 

44.15 

44.1 

44.1 

44.05 

H% 

64  95 

44 

31") 

3% 

3% 

2% 

10% 

75 

45.15 

45  33 

45.27 

45.23 

45.3 

45.4 

45  35 

45  35 

45.28 

14% 

£3  72 

APPENDIX 


133 


Weights,  etc.,  compiled  from  Journal  kept  on  the  Works. 


Soundings. 

Elevation 

Sand. 

2 o 
bi  £ 

'S  ^ 

Displacement. 

Weight. 

Sand  in  Con- 
tact. 

Weight 
per  Sq.  Ft. 

Friction 
per  Sq.  Ft. 

Date, 

1 

3 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Av. 

Ver. 

Cu.  Ft. 

Pounds. 

Total. 

Effective. 

Ver. 

Sq.  Ft. 

101.3 

1,164,400 

Dec.  28. 

8.5 

9.5 

9 5 

10  5 

9.5 

11. 

10  5 

10.5 

9 6 

91.8 

101.4 

13.4 

8,683 

541,819 

1,164,400 

622,581 

3.8 

601  9 

1036.3 

30.4 

it 

29. 

8.5 

9.5 

9 5 

10.5 

9.5 

11. 

11.5 

10  5 

10  1 

91.6 

101  714. 

9,365 

584,376 

1,164,400 

580,024 

3.9 

617  8 

tt 

30. 

10  5 

9.5 

10. 

10. 

11.5 

10.3 

91.2 

101  514.1 

9,478 

591,427 

1,164,400 

572,973 

3.8 

601.9 

ft 

31. 

9 5 

10.5 

8.5 

11  5 

10. 

91.7 

101  7 16  1 

11  732 

732.077 

1,225,21X1 

493,123 

6.1 

966.2 

1. 

9. 

9 

10. 

10. 

8 

10. 

12. 

11. 

9.9 

92.1 

102. 

16.7 

12,405 

774,072 

1,278,000 

503,928 

6 8 

1077  1 

467  8 

54.4 

ft 

2. 

8. 

8.5 

8 5 

9. 

7 5 

8 5 

10.5 

11.5 

9. 

92.4 

101  418.3 

14,187 

885.269  1.676.400 

791,131 

9.3 

1473  1 

ft 

4. 

92.5 

101.6  20. 

16,063 

1,002,331 

10.9 

1726.6 

ft 

4. 

7.5 

.... 
7 5 

7.5 

9. 

9 

9 5 

11.5 

10.5 

9. 

92  6 

101  6 21. 

17,162 

1,070,909 

1,874,400 

805,491 

12. 

1900  8 

423  8 

96. 

tt 

5. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

8.5 

6. 

9. 

12. 

10.5 

9.1 

92.6 

101.7  22.9 

19,232 

1,200,077 

13.  C 

2185.9 

ft 

5. 

101.8 

2,026,800 

tt 

6. 

92.5 

101.9 

24  2 

■H)  636  1 987  686 

14.8 

2344.3 

ft 

6. 

102.2 

2,255,600 

ft 

7. 

102.7 

2,406,000 

ft 

8. 

103  6 

2,466,800 

ft 

9. 

91. 

102. 

24.6 

21,067 

1,314,581 

13  6 

2154.2 

tt 

11 

101.7 

ft 

12. 

91. 

101.3 

24  1 

*20  529  1 281  010 

*>  nnfi  800  1.275  790 

13.8 

2135  9 

582  4 

110  4 

ft 

13. 

91. 

101  5 

25.5 

22  029  1,374,610 

14.9 

ft 

13. 

14.8 

14. 

14. 

12. 

11  5 

6.2 

7.3 

8. 

11. 

91. 

102 

26.9 

23  722  1,480,253 

15.9 

2518.6 

t f 

14. 

14.414.4 

15. 

12.5 

12.3 

7. 

7 8 

8.5 

11.5 

91.3 

102.8 

27  7 

24  698  1 S41.155 

16  2 

2566.1 

ft 

15. 

15.312. 

12. 

13. 

12.5 

6 5 

8 5 

9 

11.1 

92.5 

103.6 

tt 

16. 

15 

14. 

12. 

12. 

12. 

6. 

7 5 

9. 

10.9 

93.3 

104  2 

tt 

17. 

14. 

13. 

9.5 

10. 

9. 

4. 

6. 

7.5 

9 2 

93.3 

103.5 

ft 

18. 

11.510.5 

7. 

6.5 

9. 

3. 

4. 

6.5 

7.3 

95.5 

102.8 

29.1 

26,406 

1,647,734 

3,006,800 

1,359,066 

21  83453  1 

393  6 

174  4 

ft 

19. 

12.511. 

11. 

7. 

9. 

3.5 

5. 

8. 

8.4 

94.1 

102.5 

29.8  27,260 

1,701,024 

21  4 338.98 

tt 

20. 

10.5 

9 

4.5 

6.5 

8. 

3. 

4 5 

6 

6.5 

95.5 

102. 

29.4  26.772 

1,670,573 

22.9 

3627.4 

tt 

21. 

10.5 

9.5 

5. 

6.5 

7.5 

6.5 

4.5 

8 5 

7.3 

94  6 

101.9 

tt 

22. 

10. 

9 

4.5 

7.5 

7. 

7. 

3 5 

6. 

6.8 

94  9 

101.7 

29.5  26,894 

1,678,186 

22.7 

3595.7 

tt 

23. 

94.9 

101.7 

30.5  28  114 

1 754  314 

23.5 

3722  4 

ft 

23 

10. 

9 

4. 

7. 

6. 

8. 

5. 

6. 

6.9 

94  8 

101.7 

31.2  28,968 

1,807,603 

24.3 

3849  1 

tt 

25. 

6.9 

94.5 

101.4 

31  6 29  456 

1 838,054 

24  7 

3912  5 

tt 

26. 

9.5 

9. 

5. 

9. 

8.5 

9. 

4 5 

5. 

7.4 

93.9 

101.3 

34.1  32,506 

2,028,374 

3,682,000 

1,653,626 

26.7 

4229.3 

391. 

213.6 

tt 

27. 

101.5 

tt 

28 

10. 

9.5 

6. 

9 

9 

9. 

6 

6. 

8.2 

93.6 

101.8 

35.9  33,722 

2,104,253 

27.7 

4387  7 

tt 

29. 

10 

9 

6 

9 

8.5 

9. 

6 

6. 

7.9 

93.8 

101.7 

36.8  34,700 

2,165,280 

28,9 

4577.8 

ft 

30. 

10. 

9 

6. 

9.5 

8 

9. 

6. 

6 

7.9 

93.7 

101.6 

37  9 37,142 

2,317,659 

30. 

4752. 

tt 

31. 

134 


APPENDIX 


Appendix  E — 


Date. 

Shift. 

Hodbs  Work  of  Dredges. 

Cubic 

Yards 

Reading  of  Gauges. 

Depth 

Eleva- 

tion 

1 

2 

3 

4 

Total. 

Exca- 

vated. 

i 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Aver. 

Sunk. 

Cut’ug 

Edge. 

Feb.  4. 

Night 

5% 

6% 

6% 

4% 

23% 

150 

47  45 

47.4 

47.4 

47.4 

47.47 

47.55 

47.5 

47.5 

47.45 

26" 

61.55 

“ 5. 

U 

9% 

7% 

7 

2% 

26% 

50 

47.95 

47.9 

47.9 

47.9 

48. 

48  05 

48 

48. 

47.96 

6 

61.04 

“ 6. 

Day 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

48  07 

48. 

48. 

48. 

48.07 

48.15 

48  15 

48.15 

48  07 

60.93 

“ G. 

NightlO 

9X 

7%  io 

37 

10 

48.17 

48.1 

48.15 

48.2 

48.1 

48.3 

48.25 

48.25 

48.19 

60.81 

“ 8. 

u 

10 

10 

10 

10 

40 

12 

48.45 

48.4 

48.4 

48.4 

48.57 

48.55 

48  52 

48.5 

48.46 

3 

60.54 

“ 9. 

8 

8 

8 

8 

32 

30 

49.33 

48.96 

48.96 

48.96 

49  03 

49.1 

49.1 

49.1 

49.07 

6% 

59.93 

“ 12. 

7 

6 

5 

5 

23 

18 

49.88 

49  75 

49.9 

50.25 

49.9 

7 

59.1 

“ 15. 

.... 

10 

.... 

0 

“ 17. 

0 

“ 19. 

.... 

0 

“ 20. 

50.4 

50. 

50.12 

50  4 

50.23 

3% 

58.77 

“ 22. 

0 

“ 23. 

.... 

.... 

0 

“ 24. 

50  75 

50.45 

50  55 

50  7 

50.56 

4% 

58.44 

“ 25. 

51. 

50.77 

50.9 

51. 

50.92 

3% 

58.08 

“ 26. 

Day 

51.27 

51.03 

51.15 

51.3 

51.19 

3% 

57.81 

“ 26. 

Night 

51.42 

51.15 

51.26 

51.47 

51.32 

1% 

57.68 

“ 27. 

Day. 

51.45 

51.15 

51.37 

51.5 

51.32 

0 

57.68 

Mar.  1. 

Dajr& 

Night 

Cl 

51.62 

51.3 

51  2 

51.7 

51.48 

2 

57  52 

“ 2. 

51.75 

51  4 

51.4 

51.8 

51  59 

1% 

57.41 

“ 3. 

i l 

51.85 

51.52 

51.47 

51.85 

51  67 

1 

57.33 

“ 4. 

U 

51.92 

.... 

51.57 

51.47 

51  92 

51  72 

% 

57  28 

“ 5. 

u 

52.1 

51.65 

51.7 

52.1 

51  89 

2 

57.11 

“ 6. 

(( 

52  17 

51  8 

51  75 

52.17 

51  97 

1 

57.03 

“ 8. 

ll 

52.26 

52. 

51  97 

52.3 

52.12 

2 

56.88 

“ 9. 

Cl 

52.4 

52  15 

51.15 

52.43 

52.28 

1% 

56.72 

“ 10. 

Divers) 

work../ 

cc 

171 

200 

52.6 

52.22 

51  25 

52.6 

52.42 

1% 

56.58 

Total.. . . 

773 

1935 

34'  5|" 

APPENDIX 


135 


Continued. 


Soundings. 

Elevation 

Sand. 

Height 

Water, 

Displacement. 

Weight. 

Sand  in  Con- 
tact. 

Weight 
pr.  Sq.  Ft. 

Friction 
pr.  Sq.  Ft. 

Date. 

i 

S3 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Ave. 

Ver. 

Cu.  Ft. 

Pounds. 

Total. 

Effective. 

Ver. 

Sq.  Ft. 

11. 

10. 

7. 

10. 

9. 

9. 

7. 

6. 

8.6 

93. 

101.6 

40.1 

39,826 

2,485,142 

4,445,000 

1,959,858 

31.5 

4989.6 

392.6 

252. 

Pel). 

4. 

ii. 

9. 

6. 

9. 

9. 

9. 

6. 

6. 

8.1 

93.1 

101.2 

40  2 

39,948 

2,492,755 

32.1  5084  6 

u 

5. 

10 

9 

7. 

9. 

9. 

9 

6. 

5 5 

8.1 

93. 

101.1 

40.2 

39,948 

2,492,755 

32.1  5084  6 

a 

G. 

101.4 

ii 

fl 

10 

9. 

6. 

9. 

9. 

9. 

6. 

6 

8 1 

93.4 

101.5 

41. 

40,924 

2,553,658 

32.9  5211.4 

ii 

8. 

11 

10. 

7.5 

10. 

9. 

9. 

6. 

6. 

8.6 

93.5 

102  1 

42.2 

42,388 

2,645,011 

33.6  5322.2 

a 

9 

12. 

ii. 

8. 

9.5 

9. 

10.5 

6.5 

7. 

9.2 

93.5 

102.7 

43.6 

44,096 

2,751,590 

34.4 

5449. 

275.2 

t i 

12. 

15. 

15. 

12. 

12. 

9. 

11. 

9. 

12 

11  9 

93.6 

105.5 

it 

15. 

16. 

15.5 

16.5 

15. 

15. 

12. 

11 

12. 

14.1 

92  6 

106.7 

a 

17. 

18. 

18. 

18. 

20. 

26. 

24. 

12. 

15. 

18.9 

87  3 

106.2 

u 

19 

16. 

20. 

17. 

19.5 

25 

27. 

12. 

16. 

19.1 

86.8 

105.9 

47.1 

48,244 

3,110,426 

5,625,000 

2,514,574 

28. 

4435  2 

567. 

224. 

a 

20. 

27. 

22  5 

15. 

18. 

26 

27. 

17. 

15. 

21.2 

83  9 

105.1 

a 

22. 

104.3 

a 

23 

85. 

103. 

44  6 

45,316 

2,827,718 

26.6 

4213  4 

a 

21 

15. 

21. 

19.5 

9. 

12. 

17. 

85.6 

102.6 

44.5 

45,194 

2,820,106 

5,575,000 

2,754,894 

27.5I4356. 

632  4 

220. 

1 1 

25. 

85.5 

102  6 

44  8 

45,560 

2,842,944 

27.7 

4387.7 

a 

2fi 

85.1 

102.6 

44.9 

45,682 

2,850,557 

27.4  4340  2 

i i 

18. 

25.5 

13. 

18. 

23. 

20. 

10. 

14. 

17.7 

85.1 

102.8 

45.1 

45,926 

2,865,782 

5,575,000 

2,709,218 

27.4 

4340.2 

624.2 

219  2 

u 

27. 

17. 

25. 

14. 

22. 

19. 

13. 

13. 

17.6 

85.1 

102.7 

45.2 

46,048 

2,873,395 

27.6 

4371  8 

Mar. 

1. 

18. 

26. 

12. 

16. 

23. 

19. 

10. 

14. 

17.3 

85.7 

103. 

45  6 

46,536 

2,903,846 

28.3 

4482.7 

a 

2. 

19. 

27. 

16. 

18. 

23. 

21 

11. 

15 

18  8 

85.4 

104.2 

46  9 

48,122 

3,002,813 

28.1 

4451. 

1 1 

3. 

19. 

27. 

16 

18. 

23. 

21. 

11. 

15. 

18.8 

85. 

103.8 

46.5 

47,634 

2,972,362 

27  7 

4387.7 

a 

4. 

85. 

103.6 

46.5 

47,634 

2,972,362 

27  9 

4419.4 

ii 

5. 

85. 

102  7 

45  7 

46,658 

2,911,459 

28. 

4435.2 

a 

85.2 

102  3 

45.4 

46,292 

2,888,621 

28.3 

4482.7 

a 

8 

85.2 

102. 

45.3 

46,170 

2,881,008 

28.5 

4514.4 

u 

9 

19. 

25. 

14 

15. 

20. 

16. 

9. 

15. 

16  6 

85.4 

102 

45.4 

46,292 

2,888,621 

5,585,000 

2,696,379 

27.8 

4103  5 

612.3 

222.4 

u 

10. 

Divers) 

work 

13G 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX  F. 

Tables  showing  the  Strains  in  the  Fixed  Spans , in  Pounds. 


2-4=8  Ft.  SPAN. 

Length,  246  ft.;  End  Height,  22  ft.;  Central  Height,  31.25  ft.;  Dead  Load  on  each  Truss,  per  foot, 

1,330  lbs  ; Live  Load,  1,120  lbs. 


No. 

Panel. 

Upper  Chord. 

Lower  Chord. 

Main  Brace. 

■ Main  Tie. 

Counter  Brace. 

Counter  Tie. 

i 

86,600 

71,514 

164,400 

172,200 

2 

225,750 

201,363 

146,700 

153,700 

3 

350,600 

304,993 

129,200 

142,400 

4 

417,500 

389,445 

118,075 

123,800 

5 

482,575 

454,115 

98,120 

113,450 

6 

530,000 

506,385 

86,110 

95,200 



24,860 

7 

568,000 

565,400 

65,800 

84,410 

23,900 

24,900 

8 

588,050 

572,560 

51,100 

65,650 

24,650 

33,400 

9 

593,000 

583,973 

34,300 

50,860 

33,320 

34,300 

198  Ft.  SPAN. 

Length,  198  ft.  ; End  Height,  22  ft.  ; Central  Height,  26  ft.  ; Dead  Load  on  each  Truss,  per  foot, 

1,250  lbs.;  Live  Load,  1,120  lbs. 


No. 

Panel 

Upper  Chord. 

Lower  Chord. 

Main  Brace. 

Main  Tie. 

Counter  Brace. 

Counter  Tie. 

1 

66,700 

55,570 

115,570 

133,936 



2 

177,500 

167,241 

106,102 

116,490 

3 

267,200 

257,818 

88,097 

109,095 

4 

337,500 

327,823 

77,395 

88,884 

5 

390,200 

380,008 

58,816 

78,470 

17,255 

17,926 

6 

424,050 

413,592 

47,458 

59,359 

18,091 

26,818 

7 

437,720 

428,015 

27,654 

47,458 

26,818 

27,654 

APPENDIX. 


137 


Appendix  F — Continued. 


176  Ft.  SP^N. 

Length,  173.25  ft.  ; Height,  22  ft.  ; Dead  Load  on  each  Truss,  per  panel,  14,850  lbs.  ; Live  Load,  13,860  lbs. 


No. 

Panel. 

Upper  Chord. 

Lower  Chord. 

Main  Brace. 

Main  Tie. 

Counter  Brace. 

Counter  Tie. 

i 

56,523 

48,448 

98,816 

115,285 

2 

153,410 

145,344 

90,276 

98,816 

3 

234,165 

226,092 

73,828 

90,276 

4 

298,765 

290,690 

65,310 

73,828 



5 

347,215 

339,138 

48,840 

65,310 

15,900 

15,900 

6 

379,511 

371,437 

40,321 

48,840 

15,900 

23,852 

7 

395,659 

387,585 

23,852 

40,321 

23,852 

23,852 

130  Ft.  SPAN. 

Length,  128.3  ft.;  Height,  22  ft.  ; Dead  Load  on  each  Truss,  per  panel,  13,150  lbs.;  Live  Load,  16,000  lbs. 


No. 

Panel 

Upper  Chord. 

Lower  Chord. 

Main  Brace. 

Main  Tie. 

Counter  Brace. 

Counter  Tie. 

i 

42,510 

34,008 

67,493 

84,366 

2 

110,526 

102,025 

60,882 

67,493 

3 

161,539 

153,038 

43,009 

60,882 

9,261 

4 

195,548 

187,046 

35,397 

43,009 

9,261 

18,523 

5 

212,552 

204,050 

18,523 

35,397 

18,523 

18,523 

138 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


139 


APPENDIX  H. 


List  of  Persons  Employed  on  the  Kansas  City  Bridge. 


Names. 

Occupation. 

Time. 

0.  Chanute 

Chief  Engineer 

February 

1,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

B.  D.  Frost  

Principal  Assistant  Engineer 

February 

1,  1867,  to  June  18,  1867. 

R.  H.  Temple 

“ “ “ 

June 

10,  1867,  to  February  10,  1868. 

W.  C.  Cranmer 

Assistant  Engineer 

December 

15,  1866,  to  June  15,  1867. 

C.  H.  Knickerbocker 

January 

1,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

George  Morison 

October 

15,  1867, 

William  Reincke 

Draughtsman 

April 

1,  1867, 

Joseph  Tomlinson 

Superintendent  of  Superstructure. 

October 

1,  1867, 

E.  L.  Bostwick 

Superintendent  of  Carpenters  .... 

February 

1,  1867, 

John  McCollum 

Foreman  of  Carpenters 

January 

24,  1867,  to  May  7,  1867. 

W.  B.  Spence 

it  it 

April 

1,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

J.  H.  Herring 

i ( ( ( 

April 

1,  1867,  to  January  8,  1868. 

P.  S.  Gidley 

a a 

April 

1,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

Edward  Kyle 

it  it 

June 

1,  1867,  to  March  31,  1868. 

1,  1867,  to  January  20,  1868. 

Joseph  Robb 

it  a 

June 

J.  M.  Green  

a a 

November 

1,  1867,  to  April  4,  1868. 

1,  1868,  to  November  8,  1868. 
13,  1868,  to  completion  of  work. 

M.  W.  Vanorman 

it  a 

April 

November 

E.  Davis 

a a 

Charles  Hutchins 

a tt 

September 

1,  1868,  to  May  8,  1869. 

P.  McAuany 

a a 

December 

16,  1868,  to  May  8,  1869. 

W.  K.  McComas 

Superintendent  of  Masonry 

April 

15,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

S.  P.  Thompson 

Foreman  of  Laborers 

March 

29,  1867,  to  November  31,  1868. 
31,  1868,  to  May  15,  1869 

1,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

20,  1867,  to  July  10,  1868. 

Peter  McGee 

Foreman  of  Pile  Drivers  . 

October 

John  McGee 

Foreman  of  Boatmen.  . 

W.  H.  Crampton 

Superintendent  of  Laborers 

February 

Joseph  Neville 

Foreman  of  Laborers.  . 

February 

1,  1867,  to  June  7,  1867. 

10,  1867,  to  July  20,  1867. 

1,  1867,  to  January  12,  1868. 
1,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

A.  J.  Crouse 

R.  S.  Scott 

it  it 

October 

V.  C.  Wood 

“ 

June 

Lyman  Beebe 

Master  Blacksmith 

April 

15,  1867,  to  May  15,  1868. 

Joseph  Thayer 

“ “ 

June 

1,  1868,  to  completion  of  work. 

140 


APPENDIX. 


Appendix  H — Continued. 


Names. 

Occupation. 

Term. 

Peter  Scully 

September  1,  1867,  to  September  30,  1868. 

G.  A.  Bailey 

it  it 

September  13,  1868,  to  January  5 1869. 

Joseph  Battles 

it  i i 

February  15,  1869,  to  June  6,  1869. 

E.  P.  Harrington 

t « it 

February  16,  1869,  to  March  15,  1869. 

J.  H.  Phillips 

February  16,  1869,  to  March  15,  1869. 

W.  C.  Perry 

it  it 

February  16,  1869,  to  March  15,  1869. 

' J.  S.  Quinn 

a a 

February  16,  1869,  to  March  15,  1869. 

J.  W.  Van  Norman 

a a 

February  16,  1869,  to  March  15,  1869. 

J.  H.  Cowing 

a a 

February  16,  1 69,  to  March  15,  1869. 

Moses  Torrance 

December  14,  1868,  to  March  7,  1869. 

C.  Ryan 

Captain  Str.  “ Gypsey  ” 

January  1,  1867,  to  October  16,  1867. 

October  20,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

J.  A.  Wise 

Pilot,  Str.  “ Gypsey” 

June  5,  1867,  to  February  18,  1868. 

T.  J.  Boone 

a a 

February  15,  1868,  to  April  20,  1868. 

J.  N.  Montgomery 

May  26,  1868,  to  completion  of  work. 

Thomas  Newkirk 

Engineer  Str.  “Gvpsev” 

June  10,  1867,  to  October  17,  1867. 

D.  C.  Riter 

a a a 

October  13,  1867,  to  November  21,  1867. 

A.  W.  Hardy 

a a a 

December  1,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

•J.  R.  Balis 

February  20,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

G.  E.  Pitkin 

Accountant 

July  15,  1867, 

Employed  by  Masonry 

Contractors : 

Nelson  Gautier 

Superintendent  of  Masonry 

September  19,  1867,  to  completion  of  work. 

Foreman  of  Stone-Cutters 

September  19,  1867,  “ “ 

March  4,  1867,  to  December  20,  1867. 

<t  a a 

December  20,  1867,  to  August  26,  1868. 

Bookkeeper 

March  1,  1868,  to  completion  of  work. 

Employed  by  Keystone  Bridge 

Co.: 

Foreman  of  Raisers  on  Draw 

H.  M.  Shotts 

Asst.  Foreman  of  Raisers  on  Draw 

F.  S.  Kauffman 

Foreman  of  Raisers  on  Fixed  Spans 

T.  J.  Bell 

Foreman  of  Framers  on  Fixed  Spans 

CLLLLLLLLLLLLLJ 
LLLLUXLBLLUjf. 
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MI 

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I ‘LATH  /. 


WATER  RECORD 


PLAN  OF  PONTOON  PROTECTION 

For  Steamboats  passing  down  through  Dr aw 


D.Vun  N'oslrand,  Publisher,  N' 


End  Vi ew. 


PLA  TE  III. 


WATER  DEADENER  CAISSON 


D Van  Nostrand,  l'ublislu.-r,  N'  V 


I I Lj  I I. 


Scale  of  Feet. 


I' LA  7' A'  VI. 


- 


PLATE  VII. 


PLATE  YU  I. 


1*1. ATE  IX. 


PLATE  X. 


248  FEET  SPAN. 

Stales  of  Feet 

General  P/anj  ’ 11 — 1: il i i i! 

Detail/  I ? i 2 - 


TOP  ANGLE  BLOCK  NEAR  CENTRE. 

t £tev  alien 
* 


I > v.tii  N'<<stnuid  Publisher.  N’  Y 


m.ATK XI. 


1 


Elevation. 


Plan  or  U pper  Chord- 


Plan  or  lower  Chord. 


V W 0 T S P/\  !\j 


KANSAS  CITY  BRIDGE 


pivot  centre 


Cross  Section 


Linviue  a*d  Pi  per  Patent. 

bu/.lu  rtf  iUI«4A«'IW. 


C ross  Section. 


D e ta i l or  Wedges 


Cno  View. 


Plan  or  Pivot  Centre 


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I'l.A  77.  Ml. 


G07Y  CtNTEK  L13RAKY 


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